A gigantic caenagnathid oviraptorosaurian (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia

• Fused dentaries of a caenagnathid are reported from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia.
• The size and morphology of the specimen is comparable to those of Gigantoraptor.
• The specimen may contribute data for the correlation of the Iren Dabasu Formation.
• Large-bodied caenagnathids were widespread across Asia and North America.

A large, isolated symphyseal region of fused dentaries of an oviraptorosaurian was found in the Upper Cretaceous Bayn Shire Formation at Tsagaan Teg in the Mongolian Gobi Desert. A phylogenetic analysis places this specimen within Caenagnathidae. This specimen is comparable in size and morphology to the gigantic caenagnathid Gigantoraptor erlianensis from the Iren Dabasu Formation in China and is likely closely related to it. The occurrence of the specimen with possible affinities to G. erlianensis in the Bayn Shire Formation is consistent with the hypothesized correlation between the Bayn Shire and Iren Dabasu formations based on the co-occurrences of vertebrate fossils, especially turtles.