Pronunciation: ban-ik-us
Meaning: Half claw
Author/s: Xu et al. (2018)
Synonyms: 'Wulatesaurus'
First Discovery: Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia
Discovery Chart Position: #990
Bannykus wulatensis
(Half claw from Wulatehouqi)Etymology
Bannykus is derived from the Mandarin "Ban" (half), referring to its transitional features between the Late Jurassic Haplocheirus and more derived Late Cretaceous-aged alvarezsaurians, and the Greek "onyx" (claw), which is a common suffix for alvarezsaurian dinosaurs.
The species epithet, wulatensis, is derived from "Wulatehouqi" (Wulate Rear Banner), the county-level administrative division in which the type locality is situated, and the Latin "ensis" (from).
Before being officially described, its remains were displayed in Japan under the informal name "Wulatesaurus".
Discovery
The remains of Bannykus were discovered in the Bayingobi Formation at Chaoge, Wulatehouqi, Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia, China, by Jianqiang Hao in 2009.The holotype (IVPP V25026) is is a partial, semi-articulated skeleton, from an individual approximately eight years old.
Preparators
Lishi Xiang, Tao Yu, and Xiaoqing Ding.
