A partial oviraptorosaur skeleton suggests low caenagnathid diversity in the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia

The Nemegt Formation of the Gobi Desert of Mongolia has produced one of the most abundant and diverse oviraptorosaur records globally. However, the caenagnathid component of this fauna remains poorly known. Two caenagnathid taxa are currently recognized from the Nemegt Formation: Elmisaurus rarus and Nomingia gobiensis. Because these taxa are known from mostly non-overlapping material, there are concerns that they could represent the same animal. A partial, weathered caenagnathid skeleton discovered adjacent to the holotype quarry of Nomingia gobiensis is referable to Elmisaurus rarus, revealing more of the morphology of the cranium, mandible, pectoral girdle, and pubis. Despite metatarsals clearly exhibiting autapomorphies of Elmisaurus rarus, overlapping elements are identical to those of Nomingia gobiensis, and add to a growing body of evidence that these taxa represent a single morphotype. In the absence of any positive evidence for two caenagnathid taxa in the Nemegt Formation, Nomingia gobiensis is best regarded as a junior synonym of Elmisaurus rarus. Low caenagnathid diversity in the Nemegt Formation may reflect broader coexistence patterns with other oviraptorosaur families, particularly oviraptorids. In contrast to North America, competition with the exceptionally diverse oviraptorids may have restricted caenagnathids to marginal roles in Late Cretaceous Asian ecosystems

Discovery of a crocodyliform tooth from the upper Eocene Ergilin Dzo Formation, Mongolia

Although the distribution of Asian crocodyliforms was extended northwards during the Paleocene–Eocene greenhouse world, the fossil record in northern Asia becomes scarce towards the end of the Eocene. We here report the first crocodyliform (an isolated tooth) from the upper Eocene Ergilin Dzo Formation of southeastern Mongolia, the mammalian fauna of which defines the Ergilian Asian Land Mammal Age. The conical non-recurved crown, the near complete root with the central resorption facet, and its late Eocene age suggest the crocodyliform affinity of the tooth. The current finding represents one of the northernmost occurrences of crocodyliforms in the upper Eocene of Asia (paleolatitude ca. 49°30’ N), and demonstrates that SE Mongolia probably met thermal requirements of crocodyliforms during the late Eocene