Tyrannosauridae Osborn, 1906

Rauhut, Oliver W. M., 2003, The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs, Special papers in palaeontology 69, pp. 1-213 : 43-44

Tyrannosauridae Osborn, 1906

Included taxa. Albertosaurus sarcophagus Osborn, 1905 ; Alectrosaurus olseni Gilmore, 1933 ; Alioramus remotus Kurzanov, 1976 b ; Aublysodon mirandus Leidy, 1868 (including A. molnari Paul, 1988a ); Daspletosaurus torosus Russell, 1970 ; Gorgosaurus libratus Lambe, 1914 ; Maleevosaurus novojilovi ( Maleev, 1955 a) ; Shanshanosaurus huoyanshanensis Dong, 1977 ; Tarbosaurus bataar Maleev, 1955 b ; Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn, 1905 .

Temporal range. Senonian-Maastrichtian.

Occurrence. Judith River Formation, Montana, USA; Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA; Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada; Iren Dabasu Formation, Nei Mongol Zizhiqu, China; Baynshiren Svita, Omnogov, Mongolia; Beds of Nogon Tsav, Bayankhongor, Mongolia; wo Medicine and Hell Creek formations, Montana; Denver Formation, Colorado; Kirtland Shale, New Mexico, USA; Judith River Formation, Alberta, Canada; Fruitland Formation, New Mexico, USA; Nemegt Formation, Omnogov, Mongolia; Subashi Formation, Xinjiang, China; Nemegt Svita, White beds of Khermeen Tsav, Bayankhongor, Mongolia;?unnamed unit, Heilongjiang, China; Scollard and Willow Creek formations, Alberta, Canada; Frenchman Formation, Saskatchewan, Canada; Hell Creek Formation, South Dakota, USA; Livingston Formation, Montana, USA; Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA; Laramie Formation, Colorado, USA; McRae Formation, New Mexico, USA.

Diagnosis. Squamosal with a broadly expanded, rostrally directed quadratojugal process, meeting the expanded dorsal process of the quadratojugal in a broad suture and strongly intruding into the lower temporal fenestra; vomer with broad rhomboid anterior expansion; surangular foramen strongly enlarged, being almost as large as the mandibular fenestra in most forms; premaxillary teeth D-shaped in cross section and significantly smaller than the maxillary teeth; cervical vertebrae considerably shorter than high; hand didactyl with splint-like Me III [claimed to be present in Compsognathus longipes (Ostrom 1978) but, owing to the poor preservation of the hand in this taxon, the matter is highly debatable].

Remarks. The Tyrannosauridae ( Text-fig. 6h ) have long been recognized as a distinct family of theropod dinosaurs (Osborn 1906). However, there has been some debate as to which genera and species belong to this family and the taxonomy of some of these species.

Originally erected for the genus Tyrannosaurus (Osborn 1906) , the family was later often confused or synonymized with the family Deinodontidae Cope, 1866 (e.g. Matthew and Brown 1922). However, as Gilmore (1946) and Russell (1970) pointed out, the type genus of the family Deinodontidae , Deinodon Leidy, 1856 , is based on undiagnostic teeth and thus the name Tyrannosauridae should be used.

The species Albertosaurus sarcophagus , Alioramus remotus , Daspletosaurus torosus , Gorgosaurus libratus , Maleevosaurus novojilovi , Tarbosaurus bataar , and Tyrannosaurus rex are known from complete skeletons, or at least good skulls and partial postcrania, and these taxa can thus be referred to the Tyrannosauridae with certainty. Since the nomenclature of these animals, as listed here, differs from some of the other accounts of this clade (e.g. Russell 1970; Maleev 1974; Paul 1988a; Molnar et al. 1990; Carpenter 1992), some nomenclatorial comments on these well-established tyrannosaurids might be added.

Figures

text-fig. 6. Skull reconstructions of representatives of Cretaceous OTUs in left lateral view, a, abelisaurid Camotaurus sastrei, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Gorro Frigio Formation, Argentina; based on Bonaparte et al. (1990) and MACN CH 894. b, composite skull of a generalized baryonychid; mainly based on Suchomimus tenerensis (MNN GDF 501, 503-506) and Irritator challenged (SMNS 58022), with some elements reconstructed after Baryonyx walkeri (BMNH R 9951). c, carcharodontosaurid Carcharodontosaurus sahariens, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), Kem Kem beds, Morocco; based on Sereno et al. (1996) and SGM-Din 1, unpreserved elements shaded. D, dromaeosaurid Velociraptor mongoliensis, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Djadokhta Formation, Mongolia; based on Barsbold (1983), Barsbold and Osmólska (1999), and AMNH 6515. e, ornithomimosaur Dromiceiomimus brevitertius, Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada; redrawn from Russell (1972). F, oviraptorosaur Oviraptor philoceratops, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Djadokhta Formation, Mongolia; redrawn from Barsbold et al. (1990). G, therizinosauroid Erlikosaurus andrewsi, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian- Turonian), Baynshiren Svita, Mongolia; based on Clark et al. (1994). H, tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus libratus, Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Judith River Formation, Alberta, Canada, redrawn from Molnar et al. (1990). Abbreviations as in Text-figures 4 and 5, and: acc. op., accessory opening of unknown function in the premaxilla of Oviraptor (Barsbold et al. 1990); amf, anterior maxillary foramen; pn, pneumatic openings. Scale bars represent 50 mm (d-g) and 100 mm (a-c, h).