Nanyangosaurus
Encyclopedia
Nanyangosaurus is a genus
of herbivorous ornithischian dinosaur
from the Early Cretaceous
. It was an iguanodont
which lived in the area of present-day China
.
In 1994 the remains of a euornithopod were found near the village of Houzhuang, in Neixiang county in Henan
. The type species
, Nanyangosaurus zhugeii, was described by Xu Xing, Zhao Xijin
, Lü Junchang, Huang Wanbo, Li Zhanyang and Dong Zhiming
in 2000. The generic name is derived from the city of Nanyang
. The specific name honours one of the most famous historic inhabitants of that city, the legendary strategist Zhuge Liang
.
The specimen, holotype
IVPP V 11821, was excavated in the Xiaguan redbeds of the Sangping Formation
dating to the Albian
stage. It consists of a partial skeleton lacking the skull. Eight posterior dorsal vertebrae, a sacrum
of six vertebrae and a tail of thirty-six vertebrae have been preserved, together with a partial ischium, a forelimb and a hindlimb.
Nanyangosaurus was a rather small euornithpod with an estimated length of four to five metres. The length of the femur
is 517 millimetres. The forelimbs were relatively long with a long hand. The first digit of the hand was completely absent including the first metacarpal; according to the describers this was not an accident of preservation but the actual condition of the living animal. The species would then not have possessed the thumb spike typical of its relatives.
According to a cladistic analysis performed by the describers, Nanyangosaurus was a basal
member of the Hadrosauroidea
, more derived than Probactrosaurus
and closely related to the Hadrosauridae.
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 herbivorous ornithischian 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 Early 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...
. It was an iguanodont
Iguanodont
Iguanodonts were herbivorous dinosaurs that lived from the mid-Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. Some members include Camptosaurus, Callovosaurus, Iguanodon, Ouranosaurus, and the hadrosaurids or "duck-billed dinosaurs". Iguanodonts were one of the first groups of dinosaurs to be found...
which lived in the area of present-day China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
In 1994 the remains of a euornithopod were found near the village of Houzhuang, in Neixiang county in Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
. 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...
, Nanyangosaurus zhugeii, was described by Xu Xing, Zhao Xijin
Zhao Xijin
Zhao Xijin is a Chinese paleontologist. He is notable for having named numerous dinosaurs. He is currently a professor at Beijing's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.-Career:...
, Lü Junchang, Huang Wanbo, Li Zhanyang and Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming , from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, is one of China's leading paleontologists. He began working at the IVPP in 1962, learning from Yang Zhongjian who was director at the time...
in 2000. The generic name is derived from the city of Nanyang
Nanyang
Nanyang may refer to:* Nanyang is a Chinese term denoting the greater Nusantara region including Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, but excluding other Southeast Asian nations, especially the other nations on the Indochinese peninsula-China:* Nanyang, Henan , prefecture-level...
. The specific name honours one of the most famous historic inhabitants of that city, the legendary strategist Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
.
The specimen, 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...
IVPP V 11821, was excavated in the Xiaguan redbeds of the Sangping Formation
Sangping Formation
The Sangping Formation is a geological formation in Henan, China, whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-References:...
dating to the Albian
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
stage. It consists of a partial skeleton lacking the skull. Eight posterior dorsal vertebrae, 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...
of six vertebrae and a tail of thirty-six vertebrae have been preserved, together with a partial ischium, a forelimb and a hindlimb.
Nanyangosaurus was a rather small euornithpod with an estimated length of four to five metres. The length of the femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
is 517 millimetres. The forelimbs were relatively long with a long hand. The first digit of the hand was completely absent including the first metacarpal; according to the describers this was not an accident of preservation but the actual condition of the living animal. The species would then not have possessed the thumb spike typical of its relatives.
According to a cladistic analysis performed by the describers, Nanyangosaurus was a basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
member of 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"...
, more derived than Probactrosaurus
Probactrosaurus
Probactrosaurus is an early herbivorous hadrosauroid iguanodont dinosaur. It lived in China during the Early Cretaceous period....
and closely related to the Hadrosauridae.