.jpg "maleriraptor")
Pronunciation: muh-LEH-ree-RAP-tuh
Meaning: Maleri plunderer
Author/s: Ezcurra et al. (2025)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Pranhita-Godavari Valley, India
Discovery Chart Position: #1169
Maleriraptor kuttyi
(Kutty's Maleri Plunderer)Etymology
Maleriraptor is derived from "Maleri" (for the Upper Maleri Formation, where it was discovered) and the Latin "raptor" (plunderer, robber, thief).
The species epithet, kuttyi, honours Tharavat S. Kutty, the discoverer and initial describer of the holotype. ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1DDBD2D9-AC18?4695-A0D5?7091248A39EA.
Discovery
The remains of Maleriraptor were discovered in the Upper Maleri Formation near Annaram, south-central India, by Tharavat S. Kutty. The exact date of the discovery has been lost to the mists of time, but it was "more than 40 years ago" as of 2025.
The holotype (ISIR 282) is the first hip vertebrae with parts of its ribs, part of the next hip vertebrae, one hip bone (the right ilium) and pieces of two others (the left and right pubes), and two tail vertebrae.
