Pronunciation: LEP-toh-RIN-koss
Meaning: Slim snout
Author/s: Longrich et al. (2013)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Texas, USA
Discovery Chart Position: #838
Leptorhynchos gaddisi
Not to be confused with a genus of Australian perennial herb of the same name, Leptorhynchos is a theropod, a caenagnathid oviraptorosaurian theropod no less, which was originally known as Ornithomimus elegans (Parks, 1933), then Elmisaurus elegans (Currie, 1989), and later still Chirostenotes elegans (Sues, 1997). Or so we thought.
Although never implicitly stated, everyone assumed that Nick Longrich intended the above mentioned critter to carry the name of Leptorhynchos, baggage and all, which was always going to be a big ask of something so, well, unreliable. A later paper cleared up the confusion and an all new specimen from the Aguja Formation of Texas with a clean bill of health, no previous criminal record, nor potential to skit off to a similar-sized critter at the drop of a hat, was officially installed as the holotype specimen, and palaeontologists breathed a sigh of relief. Take a belated bow, Leptorhynchos gaddisi.
The Lone Star State's Leptorhynchos gaddisi and its terribly troubled and well-travelled sibling (Leptorhynchos elegans) are as similar to other caenagnathids as birds are to each other, but there is a way to tell them apart. Just like our modern flying friends, caenagnathids sport a wide range of distinguishing beak proportions and shapes, suggesting each was adapted to its own feeding niche, which allowed a large number of species to co-exist in the same area without eating each other into extinction. We're not sure what foods a short and rather deep lower jaw, and a wide and upturned tip of an otherwise slim beak are built to take advantage of. But we can tell you, for example, that the beak of Leptorhynchos elegans is slightly wider and more upturned at the tip than that of Leptorhynchos gaddissi, while the chin of the latter is slightly more rounded.
Leptorhynchos elegans managed to stay out of trouble for almost two years. But by 2015, questions were once again being asked about its true affinities, and Funston et al. ultimately renamed it Citipes in 2020.
Although never implicitly stated, everyone assumed that Nick Longrich intended the above mentioned critter to carry the name of Leptorhynchos, baggage and all, which was always going to be a big ask of something so, well, unreliable. A later paper cleared up the confusion and an all new specimen from the Aguja Formation of Texas with a clean bill of health, no previous criminal record, nor potential to skit off to a similar-sized critter at the drop of a hat, was officially installed as the holotype specimen, and palaeontologists breathed a sigh of relief. Take a belated bow, Leptorhynchos gaddisi.
The Lone Star State's Leptorhynchos gaddisi and its terribly troubled and well-travelled sibling (Leptorhynchos elegans) are as similar to other caenagnathids as birds are to each other, but there is a way to tell them apart. Just like our modern flying friends, caenagnathids sport a wide range of distinguishing beak proportions and shapes, suggesting each was adapted to its own feeding niche, which allowed a large number of species to co-exist in the same area without eating each other into extinction. We're not sure what foods a short and rather deep lower jaw, and a wide and upturned tip of an otherwise slim beak are built to take advantage of. But we can tell you, for example, that the beak of Leptorhynchos elegans is slightly wider and more upturned at the tip than that of Leptorhynchos gaddissi, while the chin of the latter is slightly more rounded.
Leptorhynchos elegans managed to stay out of trouble for almost two years. But by 2015, questions were once again being asked about its true affinities, and Funston et al. ultimately renamed it Citipes in 2020.
(Slim snout)Etymology
Leptorhynchos is derived from the Greek "leptos" (slim) and "rhynchos" (muzzle, snout).
The species epithet, gaddisi, honours the Gaddis family, on whose land the holotype was found. The first remains of Leptorhynchos were discovered in the Aguja Formation, Big Bend, Texas, USA. The holotype (TMM 45920-1) is a partial lower jaw.
