Incisivosaurus gauthieri (Xu et al. 2002. Barremian, Early Creteceous, 126 mya) is a basal oviraptorosaur with rodent-like incisors.

Limusaurus inextricabilis (Xu et al. 2009; Late Jurassic, Oxfordian; 1.7m in est. length; IVPP V 15923) is an herbivorous theropod with very tiny arms and hands in the lineage of oviraptors. Pol and Rauhut (2012) nested it with Elaphrosaurus and Spinostropheus. Those taxa have not been added to the large reptile tree where Limusaurus nests with Caudipteryx and Khaan.

Hatchling and juvenile Limusaurus retained teeth. Adults did not. Limusaurus nesting sites were fossilized in several layers (Stiegler 2019).

The manus of Limusaurus retains four fingers. In juveniles digit one retains 2 phalanges. Adults reduce that to 1. Digit two has the usual 3 phalanges in juveniles and adults. In juveniles digit three has one full phalanx and a distal vestige. Adults have three full-size phalanges. Digit four has no phalanges on juveniles and adults (Stiegler 2019).

Berthasaura leopoldinae (de Souza et al. 2021; MN 7821-V; Late Cretaceous 85mya; <1m est length) is a toothless sister to Limusaurus in the LRT. This desert dweller has vestigial hands and a shorter neck.

Protarchaeopteryx robusta (Ji and Ji 1997; Early Cretaceous, Aptian; <1m in length; NGMC 2125) is a basal oviraptorosaur with long fingers. Not related to Archaeopteryx, not preceding it chrnologically, Protarchaeopteryx was a swift runner and omnivore.

Caudipteryx zhoui (Ji et al. 1998; Yixian Fm., Early Cretaeous) nests between Limusaurus and Khaan. Famous for its pennaceous feathers vanes and barbs on hands and tail, along with down-like feathers over the body, Caudipteryx was flightless and a probable omnivore. Some workers think this dinosaur was secondarily flightless, but it has no flying descendants in the large reptile tree.

de Souza GA, Soares MB, Weinschütz LC, Wilner E, Lopes RT, de Araújo OM and Kellner AW 2021. The first edentulous ceratosaur from South America. Scientific Reports 11(1):22281.

Ji Q, Currie PJ, Norell MA and Ji S 1998. Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China. Nature. 393 (6687): 753–761.

Ji Q and Ji S 1997. Protarchaeopterygid bird (Protarchaeopteryx gen. nov.)—fossil remains of archaeopterygids from China. Chinese Geology, 238: 38–41.

Xu X, Cheng Y-N, Wang X.-L and Chang C-H 2002. An unusual oviraptorosaurian dinosaur from China. Nature, 419: 291-293.

Xu X, Clark JM. Mo J, Choiniere J, Forster CA, Erickson GM, Hone DWE, Sullivan C, Eberth DA, Nesbitt S, Zhao Q, Hernandez R, Jia C-K, Han F-L. and Guo Y 2009. A Jurassic ceratosaur from China helps clarify avian digital homologies. Nature, 459(18): 940–944.

wiki/Limusaurus
wiki/Caudipteryx
wiki/Protarchaeopteryx
wiki/Incisivosaurus
wiki/Berthasaura