Zhejiangosaurus
Encyclopedia
Zhejiangosaurus is an extinct genus
of nodosaurid
dinosaur
from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian
stage) of Zhejiang
, eastern China
. It was first named by a group of Chinese and Japan
ese authors Junchang Lü, Xingsheng Jin, Yiming Sheng and Yihong Li in 2007
and the type species
is Zhejiangosaurus lishuiensis ("from Lishui", Chinese administrative unit on which the fossil was found).
, ZNHM M8718, a partial skeleton which has preserved a sacrum
with eight vertebrae, a complete right ilium
and partial left ilium, a complete right pubis
, the proximal
end of the right ischium, two complete hindlimbs, fourteen caudal
vertebrae, and some unidentified bones. These remains come from Liancheng, in the Chinese administrative unit of Lishui on the province of Zhejiang and they were collected from the Cenomanian
-age Chaochuan Formation.
n family Nodosauridae. It is the only known nodosaurid from Asia
as both Zhongyuansaurus
and Liaoningosaurus
are no longer considered nodosaurids.
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 nodosaurid
Nodosauridae
Nodosauridae is a family of ankylosaurian dinosaurs, from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous Period of what are now North America, Asia, Antarctica and Europe.-Characteristics:...
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...
from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...
stage) of Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, eastern 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...
. It was first named by a group of Chinese and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese authors Junchang Lü, Xingsheng Jin, Yiming Sheng and Yihong Li in 2007
2007 in paleontology
-newly named:-New taxa:-Newly named non-avian dinosaurs:Data courtesy of George Olshevky's dinosaur genera list.-Newly named birds:-New papers:...
and 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...
is Zhejiangosaurus lishuiensis ("from Lishui", Chinese administrative unit on which the fossil was found).
Material
Material for Zhejiangosaurus consists of the holotypeHolotype
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...
, ZNHM M8718, a partial skeleton which has preserved a sacrum
Sacrum
In vertebrate anatomy the sacrum is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine and at the upper and back part of the pelvic cavity, where it is inserted like a wedge between the two hip bones. Its upper part connects with the last lumbar vertebra, and bottom part with the coccyx...
with eight vertebrae, a complete right ilium
Ilium (bone)
The ilium is the uppermost and largest bone of the pelvis, and appears in most vertebrates including mammals and birds, but not bony fish. All reptiles have an ilium except snakes, although some snake species have a tiny bone which is considered to be an ilium.The name comes from the Latin ,...
and partial left ilium, a complete right pubis
Pubis (bone)
In vertebrates, the pubic bone is the ventral and anterior of the three principal bones composing either half of the pelvis.It is covered by a layer of fat, which is covered by the mons pubis....
, the proximal
Anatomical terms of location
Standard anatomical terms of location are designations employed in science that deal with the anatomy of animals to avoid ambiguities that might otherwise arise. They are not language-specific, and thus require no translation...
end of the right ischium, two complete hindlimbs, fourteen caudal
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
vertebrae, and some unidentified bones. These remains come from Liancheng, in the Chinese administrative unit of Lishui on the province of Zhejiang and they were collected from the Cenomanian
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...
-age Chaochuan Formation.
Systematics
On the species description, Lü et al. (2007) found Zhejiangosaurus to belong to the ankylosauriaAnkylosauria
Ankylosauria is a group of herbivorous dinosaurs of the order Ornithischia. It includes the great majority of dinosaurs with armor in the form of bony osteoderms. Ankylosaurs were bulky quadrupeds, with short, powerful limbs. They are first known to have appeared in the early Jurassic Period of...
n family Nodosauridae. It is the only known nodosaurid from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
as both Zhongyuansaurus
Zhongyuansaurus
Zhongyuansaurus is an extinct genus of ankylosaurid ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Cretaceous of Ruyang, Henan, China. It is known from remains including skull, arm, pelvic, and tail bones. It is distinguished by characteristics such as a flat roof to the skull, a straight ischium, and the...
and Liaoningosaurus
Liaoningosaurus
Liaoningosaurus is a very unusual ankylosaur from the Lower Cretaceous. The holotype IVPP V12560 , an essentially complete juvenile skeleton compressed on a slab, was collected from the Yixian Formation of Liaoxi, Yixian County, Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China.The type species...
are no longer considered nodosaurids.