Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 8:105–153 105 ISSN 2292-1389 Caenagnathids of the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada: anatomy, osteo- histology, taxonomy, and evolution Gregory F. Funston School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada;
[email protected] Abstract: Our understanding of caenagnathid anatomy, diversity, and ecology has improved considerably in the past twenty years, but numerous issues still remain. Among these, the diversity and taxonomy of caenag- nathids from the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada, have remained problematic. Whereas some authors recognize three genera, others suggest only two are present, and there is considerable disagreement about which specimens are referable to which genus. This study aims to resolve this issue by reviewing the known specimens and using osteohistology to establish a testable taxonomic framework of Dinosaur Park Formation caenagnathids. Numerous new specimens from all regions of the skeleton provide insight into morphological variation in caenagnathids, and three morphotypes are recognized based on a combination of morphological features and body size. Osteohistology shows that representatives in each body size class are at skeletal maturity, and therefore supports the delineation of three taxa: the smaller Citipes elegans gen. nov., the intermediate Chirostenotes pergracilis, and the larger Caenagnathus collinsi, new material of which shows it rivalled Anzu wyliei in size. However, these analyses also raise concerns about the referral of isolat- ed material to each taxon in the absence of skeletal overlap between specimens or osteohistological analysis. Caenagnathids are consistently recovered throughout the Dinosaur Park Formation interval, and two geo- graphic clusters of increased abundance probably reflect collection and taphonomic biases.