Remains of Alvarezsauridae (Theropoda, Coelurosauria) in the Alien Formation (Campanian-Maastrichthian), in Salitral Ojo de Agua, Río Negro Province, Argentina.

Abstract

We present new remains from the Cam-panian-Maastrichtian beds of the Alien Formation, in Salitral Ojo de Agua (Río Negro, Argentina), which are assignable to Alvarezsauridae indet. This clade of small coelurosaurian theropods is known from strata of similar age in Mongolia, and from older sediments (Turonian and Coniacian in age) in Argentina. Thus, the material presented here extends the temporal record of the alvarezsaurids from the Southern Hemisphere up to the Latest Cretaceous. The fossil bones reported were associated to eggshells of the oofamily Elongatoolithidae, which are actually attributed to Theropoda.