Brownstein—On the theropods of the Ellisdale Site (Campanian) 92(6):1115–1129
separated by shallow interdenticular sulci. Importantly, this tooth is very large for a dromaeosaurid, falling just above the upper end of the crown height range for the giant dromaeosaurid taxon Dakotaraptor steini DePalma et al., 2015 and far exceeding the crown height ranges for other Late Cretaceous dromaeosaurid taxa (e.g., DePalma et al., 2015). The CHs of the Ellisdale tooth crowns are most similar to those of the teeth of Utahraptor, the largest known dromaeosaurid (Kirkland et al., 1993), suggesting NJSM 14158, NJSM 12436, and NJSM 16611 represent a truly gigantic dromaeosaurid taxon. The outlines of the mesial and distal faces of the tooth are recurved apically, and the specimen is laterally compressed and nearly symmetrical in distal and mesial views. In basal view, the tooth is rectangular. The other tooth included in NJSM 14158 is heavily worn,
preserving no denticles. However, the tooth is large (CH=25 mm), ziphodont, and recurved, and is thus referred to the dromaeosaurid morphotype A. The complete tooth included in NJSM 12436 is gracile, heavily recurved, ziphodont, and large (CH=26 + mm), representing the largest of the dromaeosaurid tooth crowns from the Ellisdale site. This latter tooth also does not preserve denticles and is D-shaped in cross-section basally. NJSM 16611 is a dromaeosaurid tooth based on its
labiolingual compression and curvature apically. Though it has been smoothed by abrasion during water transport, the size of the specimen ismost similar to the large dromaeosaurid teeth included in morphotype A of the dromaeosaurid specimens of Ellisdale.
Materials.—NJSM 14158, partial tooth crowns (Fig. 5.1–5.6, 5.13, 5.14);NJSM16611, complete tooth crown (Fig. 5.11, 5.12).
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Remarks.—The tooth with preserved denticles included in NJSM 14158 is referred to Dromaeosauridae based on the fol- lowing combination of features: being appreciably recurved towards the crown apex, possessing the ziphodont condition, having much larger distal than mesial denticles, and having distal denticles that curve towards the apex of the crown. The other tooth included in NJSM 14158, the eroded complete tooth crown included in NJSM 12436, and NJSM 16611 share all these features except those relevant to the denticles because none of these teeth preserves them. The morphotype represented by the tooth included in NJSM 14158 preserving denticles is characterized by large size, and peg-like denticles that are approximately twice as long as are wide and are deflected api- cally. The other tooth included in NJSM 14158, the complete crown included in NJSM 12436, and NJSM 16611 are tenta- tively referred to this morphotype on the basis of size.
Dromaeosauridae indet. morphotype B. Figure 6
Description.—NJSM 14404 includes two tooth fragments. The larger fragment is darker in color, bearing numerous holes, which are inferred to be invertebrate borings, and enamel spalling damage on its apical end. The smaller fragment is less eroded and preserves six denticles. Each of the denticles of the smaller frag- ment is angled at ~45º angle with the crown towards the apex of the tooth, differentiating this specimen from the dromaeosaurid toothmorphotype that includes NJSM14158. These denticles are approximately as mesiodistally long as apicodistally wide and are shaped like blunt hooks. The denticle density of this tooth is
Figure 6. Dromaeosaurid maxillary or dentary teeth NJSM 14404 (1) assigned to morphotype B in ?labial/lateral views. Scale bar=5mm.
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