An associated skeleton from the Kitadani quarry of the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) strata in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, represents a new genus and species of carnosaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda). The immature specimen, which is about 4.2 m long, is well preserved and includes elements of the skull, vertebral column, front limbs, and hind limbs. The hands are relatively large and armed with strongly curved, sharp claws, suggesting that it was an active predator. Phylogenetic analysis indicates it is a basal allosauroid. An isolated astragalus from Australia may represent a closely related species.

The skull material of a new iguanodontian dinosaur, Fukuisaurus tetoriensis gen. et sp. nov., discovered from the fluvial deposits of the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation, Tetori Group, Fukui Prefecture, Japan, is described here. Some features of Fukuisaurus show affinities with Iguanodon, Ouranosaurus, and Altirhinus, referred to as Iguanodontidae by some. A phylogenetic analysis using mainly cranial characters shows that Fukuisaurus is a definitive derived non-hadrosaurid iguanodontian and implies that Fukuisaurus is more derived than the clade of Iguanodon ϩ Ouranosaurus and more basal to the clade of Altirhinus, Probactrosaurus, Eolambia, Protohadros, Bactrosaurus, Telmatosaurus, and hadrosaurids. It also supports that Iguanodontidae is paraphyletic by the exclusion of Altirhinus as suggested previously. The presence of Fukuisaurus indicates a wider geographical distribution of the group in eastern Asia. The occurrences of derived non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians from the Kitadani Formation and other formations in Japan support a dispersal of this group into eastern Asia by the Early Cretaceous and its temporal range extension in Japan. Fukuisaurus possesses a strong maxilla-vomer articulation, indicative of the independent acquisition of a non-pleurokinetic skull (not present in Hypsilophodon, Iguanodon, and hadrosaurids).

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Coelophysoid dinosaurs represent the earliest major radiation of neotheropods. These small-to-medium-sized agile bipeds lived throughout much of Pangaea during the Late Triassic-arly Jurassic. Previously reported coelophysoid material from Asia (excluding the Gondwanan territory of India) is limited to two specimens that comprise only limb fragments. This paper describes a new genus and species of coelophysoid, Panguraptor lufengensis, from the Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation of Yunnan Province, China. The new taxon is represented by a well-preserved skeleton, including the skull and lower jaw, the presacral vertebral column and partial ribs, the right scapula, a partial forelimb, part of the pelvic girdle, and an almost complete hind limb. It is distinguished from other coelophysoid theropods by the unique combination of the following three character states: 1) diagonal (rostrodorsal-caudoventral) ridge on lateral surface of maxilla, within antorbital fossa, 2) elliptical, laterally facing fenestra caudodorsal to aforementioned diagonal ridge, and 3) hooked craniomedial corner of distal tarsal IV. Cladistic analysis recovers Panguraptor lufengensis deeply nested within Coelophysoidea as a member of Coelophysidae, and it is more closely related to Coelophysis than to "Syntarsus". Panguraptor represents the first well-preserved coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from Asia, and provides fresh evidence supporting the hypothesis that terrestrial tetrapods tended to be distributed pan-continentally during the Early Jurassic.

Our understanding of coelurosaurian evolution, particularly of bird origins, has been greatly improved, mainly due to numerous recently discovered fossils worldwide. Nearly all these discoveries are referable to the previously known coelurosaurian subgroups. Here, we report a new theropod, Fukuivenator paradoxus, gen. et sp. nov., based on a nearly complete specimen from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation of the Tetori Group, Fukui, Japan. While Fukuivenator possesses a large number of morphological features unknown in any other theropod, it has a combination of primitive and derived features seen in different theropod subgroups, notably dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. Computed-tomography data indicate that Fukuivenator possesses inner ears whose morphology is intermediate between those of birds and non-avian dinosaurs. Our phylogenetic analysis recovers Fukuivenator as a basally branching maniraptoran theropod, yet is unable to refer it to any known coelurosaurian subgroups. The discovery of Fukuivenator considerably increases the morphological disparity of coelurosaurian dinosaurs and highlights the high levels of homoplasy in coelurosaurian evolution.