Alioramini

Alioramini is a clade of long-snouted tyrannosaurine tyrannosaurid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous epoch. It includes the genera Alioramus and Qianzhousaurus. Although tyrannosaurids are known from a variety of places around the globe, alioramins are restricted to Asia in mostly Maastrichtian strata. Many of the fossils attributed to Alioramini are not from fully developed individuals.

==Description== thumb|left|Size of three alioramin species compared to a human Alioramins are medium-sized tyrannosaurids, reaching around in length. They have a more gracile body plan as compared to most other tyrannosaurines. Alioramins have rather shallow snouts, a trait that is rather rare among tyrannosaurs but can be found in the early tyrannosauroid, Xiongguanlong. Alioramins are unique when compared to contemporary tyrannosaurs from the same time, such as Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, because most of the longer snouted tyrannosauroids, such as Xiongguanlong, were found in deposits dating to earlier times during the Cretaceous. Members of the alioramins also have an elongated maxillary fenestra. Besides their elongated snouts, perhaps another major trait that makes alioramins stand out is their nasal ridges. While most other tyrannosaurids have nasal ridges, the nasal ridges in alioramins are pronounced and discrete. They form well developed bumps on the surface of the nasal bones, forming their nasal crest. Within the dentary bone, alioramins have 18 or more teeth.