Redescription of Arundel formation Ornithomimosaur material and a reinterpretation of Nedcolbertia justinhofmanni as an “Ostrich Dinosaur”: Biogeographic implications

Abstract

The fossil record of dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of eastern North America is scant, especially since few formations from the east are fossiliferous. Among those that are is the Arundel Formation of the eastern seaboard, which has produced among the best dinosaur faunas known from the Early Cretaceous of eastern North America. The diverse dinosaur fauna of this formation has been thoroughly discussed previously, but few of the dinosaur species originally described from the Arundel are still regarded as valid genera. Much of the Arundel material is in need of review and redescription. Among the fossils of dinosaurs from this formation are those referred to ornithomimosaurs. Here, I redescribe ornithomimosaur remains from the Arundel facies of Prince George’s County, Maryland which may be from two distinct ornithomimosaur taxa. These remains provide key information on the theropods of the Early Cretaceous of Eastern North America. Recent discoveries of small theropod material from the Arundel Formation are also reviewed and described for the first time. The description of the Arundel material herein along with recent discoveries of basal ornithomimosaurs in the past 15 years has allowed for comparisons with the coelurosaur Nedcolbertia justinhofmanni, suggesting the latter animal was a basal ornithomimosaurian dinosaur rather than a “generalized” coelurosaur as which it was originally described. Comparisons between the Arundel ornithomimosaur material and similar Asian and European specimens suggest that both extremely basal ornithomimosaurs and more intermediate or derived forms coexisted throughout the northern hemisphere during the Early Cretaceous. Additionally, the possible presence of two distinct ornithomimosaurs in the Arundel allies the Arundel facies with Asian sediments in their coelurosaurian fauna.