正模标本和唯一已知标本BMNH R3718由单个左手骨组成,在1905年左右发现于闪电岭(英语:Lightning Ridge)上的沃拉斯顿(英语:Wollaston, New South Wales)附近。[3]化石已经蛋白石化。[3]属名含义不明,因为冯·休尼并未给出词源。[2]“Rapator”一词在古典拉丁语中不存在,在中世纪拉丁语中也很少出现,意思是“违反者”。[4]一种可能的解释是,冯·休尼受到拉丁语单词raptare(意为“掠夺”)的影响,[5]并错误地认为该词实际上存在“掠夺者”的含义。[6]它也被认为是一个简单的拼写错误或与raptor一词(意为“掠夺者”或“盗贼”)的混淆。[3]种名意为“类似嗜鸟龙”。在澳大利亚闪电岭西南的蛋白石矿区发现的大盗龙类残骸被公众媒体称为“闪电爪”(Lightning Claw),很可能代表了更多的盗龙材料。[7]
White, M. A.; Falkingham, P. L.; Cook, A. G.; Hocknull, S. A.; Elliott, D. A. Morphological comparisons of metacarpal I forAustralovenator wintonensisandRapator ornitholestoides: Implications for their taxonomic relationships. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 2013, 37 (4): 435–441. doi:10.1080/03115518.2013.770221.
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