title: The furculae of the dromaeosaurid dinosaur Dakotaraptor steini are trionychid turtle entoplastra.
abstract: Dakotaraptor steini is a recently described dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. Included within the D. steini hypodigm are three elements originally identified as furculae, one of which was made part of the holotype specimen. We show that the elements described as D. steini 'furculae' are not theropod dinosaur furculae, but are rather trionychid turtle entoplastra referable to cf. Axestemys splendida. The hypodigm of D. steini should be adjusted accordingly.
authors.affiliation: Paleontology Research Lab, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
authors.forename: Victoria M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Arbour
authors.affiliation: Paleontology Research Lab, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
authors.forename: Lindsay E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Zanno
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Derek W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History , Washington, DC , United States.
authors.forename: Hans-Dieter
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Sues
keywords: Axestemys; Cretaceous; Dromaeosauridae; Hell Creek Formation; Maastrichtian; South Dakota; Testudines; Theropoda; Trionychidae