| Maleriraptor Temporal range: Late Triassic, Norian | |
|---|---|
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| Maleriraptor's whereabouts and its skeletal reconstruction. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Superfamily: | †Herrerasauria |
| Family: | †Herrerasauridae (?) |
| Genus: | †Maleriraptor Ezcurra et al., 2025 |
| Species: | †M. kuttyi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Maleriraptor kuttyi Ezcurra et al., 2025 | |
Maleriraptor is an herrerasaurian dinosaur that lived in India during Late Triassic period. The type and the only known species is M. kuttyi.
Description[]
Life Restoration by UDL.
Maleriraptor was a carnivorous dinosaur that lived in Upper Maleri Formation during the late Triassic. Like other herrerasaurs, it bore a strong resemblance to the related group of theropods. It was a moderate sized dinosaur when compared to other Triassic genera. It might have hunted Jaklapallisaurus and other sauropodomorphs for food.
Discovery and Naming[]
Maleriraptor and Jaklapallisaurus
In 1985, Maleriraptor's holotype specimen, ISIR 282, was discovered by TS Kutty from Upper Maleri Formation of the Pranhita–Godavari Basin, which is located in India. Later in 2011, the following holotype specimen was researched by Novas along with other fossil animals from the the same region.
In 2025, Ezcurra and his colleagues describe it as a new genus and species of dinosaur "Maleriraptor kuttyi" based on the fossil remains of the taxa. The genus name "Maleri" is after Maleri Formation where the animal was discovered, "raptor" is the Latin word for plunderer or Thief and the species name is after TS Kutty who discovered the holotype.
Classification[]
Maleriraptor is currently classified as a type of herrerasaurian, potentially belonging to the family of Herrerasauridae.