Pronunciation: dee-YOO-kin
Meaning: Bird of prey
Author/s: Porfiri et al. (2024)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Neuquén Province, Argentina
Discovery Chart Position: #1130
Diuqin lechiguanae
(Lechiguana's Bird of Prey)Etymology
In Mapuzungun, the language of the Mapuce people indigenous to the region where the fossil was found, Diuqin (dee-YOO-kin) means "bird of prey".
The species epithet, lechiguanae (LEH-chee-GWAH-nay), is named after Lechiguana, the witch in the 1975 film Nazareno Cruz y el Lobo (directed by Argentinian filmmaker Leonardo Favio) who foresaw that the film’s titular character would become a werewolf. ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BF5CDA11-1682-4E48-8A75-5661A6648B68.
Discovery
The remains of Diuqin were discovered in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Neuquén Group) on the isthmus between Lago Barreales and Lago Mari Menuco, Neuquén Province, northern Patagonia, Argentina, by Juan D Porfiri and his team from the Museo de Ciencias Naturales of the Universidad Nacional del Comahue.
A megaraptorid theropod tooth (MUCPv 1557), perhaps belonging to Tratayenia which is known from the same formation but lacks tooth fossils for comparison, and fragmentary bones of an indeterminate sauropod were found nearby.
The holotype (MUCPv 1401) is a tooth-marked upper arm bone, the spinal arch of a hip and tail vertebra, and four indeterminate bone fragments (at least two of which may be small pieces of vertebrae).
Preparators
Domenica D dos Santos of the Museo de Ciencias Naturales of the Universidad Nacional del Comahue.
