Tanius
Encyclopedia
Tanius is a genus
of hadrosauroid dinosaur
. It lived in the Late Cretaceous
of the People's Republic of China
.
The type species
, named and described in 1929 by Carl Wiman
, is Tanius sinensis. The generic name honours the Chinese paleontologist Tan Xichou ("H.C. Tan"). The specific name refers to China.
Tan in April 1923 discovered the remains in the east of Shandong
at the village of Ch'ing-kang-kou, ten kilometres southeast of Lai Yang. In October of the same year they were excavated by Tan's associate, the Austrian paleontologist Otto Zdansky
. Although the specimen was originally rather complete, only parts could be salvaged. The holotype
, PMU R.240, was recovered from the Wangshi Formation dating from the Campanian
. It consists of the back of the skull, which was flat and elongated. Later numerous other fragments would be referred to Tanius.
Other species originally assigned to Tanius have been moved to other genera. These include: Tanius prynadai named in 1939 by Anatoly Nikolaevich Ryabinin, which was assigned to Bactrosaurus
; and Tanius chingkankouensis named in 1958 by Yang Zhongjian
, and Tanius laiyangensis named in 1976 by Zhen Shuonan, which were both later considered junior subjective synonyms of Tsintaosaurus
.
In 2010 Gregory S. Paul
estimated the length of Tanius at seven metres and the weight at two tonnes.
Exact cladistic analyses resulted in Tanius being placed either basal in the Hadrosauroidea
, basal in the Hadrosauridae, also dependent on the definition of the latter concept, or in the Hadrosaurinae
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of hadrosauroid dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
. It lived in the Late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, named and described in 1929 by Carl Wiman
Carl Wiman
Carl Wiman was a Swedish paleontologist and the first professor of paleontology at Uppsala University. He published on a variety of topics, including extinct penguins, and dinosaur fossils sent to Sweden from China and the San Juan Basin of New Mexico...
, is Tanius sinensis. The generic name honours the Chinese paleontologist Tan Xichou ("H.C. Tan"). The specific name refers to China.
Tan in April 1923 discovered the remains in the east of Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
at the village of Ch'ing-kang-kou, ten kilometres southeast of Lai Yang. In October of the same year they were excavated by Tan's associate, the Austrian paleontologist Otto Zdansky
Otto Zdansky
Otto A. Zdansky was an Austrian paleontologist.He is best known for his work in China, where he, as an assistant to Johan Gunnar Andersson, discovered a fossil tooth of the Peking Man in 1921 at the Dragon Bone Hill, although he did not disclose it until 1926 when he published it in Nature after...
. Although the specimen was originally rather complete, only parts could be salvaged. The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, PMU R.240, was recovered from the Wangshi Formation dating from the Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
. It consists of the back of the skull, which was flat and elongated. Later numerous other fragments would be referred to Tanius.
Other species originally assigned to Tanius have been moved to other genera. These include: Tanius prynadai named in 1939 by Anatoly Nikolaevich Ryabinin, which was assigned to Bactrosaurus
Bactrosaurus
Bactrosaurus is a genus of herbivorous dinosaur that lived in east China during the late Cretaceous, about 70 mya. The position Bactrosaurus occupies in the Cretaceous makes it one of the earliest known hadrosaurs, and although it is not known from a full skeleton, Bactrosaurus is one of the best...
; and Tanius chingkankouensis named in 1958 by Yang Zhongjian
Yang Zhongjian
Yang Zhongjian , courtesy name Keqiang , also known as C.C. Young, was one of China's foremost paleontologists. He has been called the 'Father of Chinese vertebrate paleontology'...
, and Tanius laiyangensis named in 1976 by Zhen Shuonan, which were both later considered junior subjective synonyms of Tsintaosaurus
Tsintaosaurus
Tsintaosaurus is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur from China. It was about long, tall and weighed 3 tons. The type species is T. spinorhinus, first described by C. C...
.
In 2010 Gregory S. Paul
Gregory S. Paul
Gregory Scott Paul is a freelance researcher, author and illustrator who works in paleontology, and more recently has examined sociology and theology. He is best known for his work and research on theropod dinosaurs and his detailed illustrations, both live and skeletal...
estimated the length of Tanius at seven metres and the weight at two tonnes.
Exact cladistic analyses resulted in Tanius being placed either basal in the Hadrosauroidea
Hadrosauroidea
Hadrosauroidea is a clade or superfamily of ornithischian dinosaurs that includes the "duck-billed" dinosaurs, or hadrosaurids, and their close relatives. Many primitive hadrosauroids, such as the sail-backed Ouranosaurus, have traditionally been included in a paraphyletic "Iguanodontidae"...
, basal in the Hadrosauridae, also dependent on the definition of the latter concept, or in the Hadrosaurinae
Hadrosaurinae
Saurolophinae is a subfamily of hadrosaurid dinosaurs. Members of the subfamily derive from the Late Cretaceous of Antarctica, Argentina, Canada , China, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russia, the United States and...
External links
- Tanius in The Dinosaur Encyclopaedia at Dino Russ's Lair
- Tanius in the Dino Directory