Zizhongosaurus

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Zizhongosaurus
Temporal occurrence
Lower Jurassic
201.3 to 174.1 million years
Locations
Systematics
Dinosaur (dinosauria)
Lizard dinosaur (Saurischia)
Sauropodomorpha
Sauropods (Sauropoda)
Zizhongosaurus
Scientific name
Zizhongosaurus
Dong , Zhou and Zhang , 1983
Art
  • Zizhongosaurus chuanchengensis

Zizhongosaurus ("Zizhong Lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic of China . Only the type species Zizhongosaurus chuanchengensis is scientifically described . Within the sauropods it is traditionally placed among the Vulcanodontids , along with genera such as Vulcanodon and Barapasaurus . However, this grouping is now considered paraphyletic , which is why the Vulcanodontidae is no longer recognized by most researchers. Zizhongosaurus is now used as the noun dubium , the systematic classification within the sauropods remains unclear.

description

So far only one find of this genus is known, which consists of a vertebral arch , a fragmentary pubic bone and a humerus . In physique, this genus probably corresponded to other early representatives of the sauropods and accordingly had a long neck and tail. In comparison with related genera, the forelimbs were relatively long.

The spinous processes of the spine were undivided, the transverse processes that articulated with the ribs were robust and aligned at right angles to the spinous process. In addition to the articular processes, Zizhongosaurus , like many other sauropods, had an additional mechanical connecting element that stabilized the spine - the hyposphene-hypantrum connections .

Site and naming

The fossil bones of Zizhongosaurus come from the Ziliujing Formation near the Chinese district of Zizhong in the Chinese province of Sichuan . The genus thus lived in the Lower Jurassic and is one of the oldest sauropods in China.

The first scientific description was in 1983 by researchers around Dong Zhiming . The name Zizhongosaurus is composed of the name of the district Zizhong, in which the fossils were discovered, and the Greek saurus ("lizard"). The second part of the species name, chuanchengensis , indicates the city of Chuancheng . Chuangcheng means something like "boat city", as the hill on which the city stands resembles the shape of a boat.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Ronan Allain, Najat Aquesbi, Jean Dejax, Christian Meyer, Michel Monbaron, Christian Montenat, Philippe Richir, Mohammed Rochdy, Dale Russell , Philippe Taquet : A basal sauropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of Morocco. In: Comptes Rendus Palevol. Vol. 3, No. 3, 2004, ISSN  1631-0683 , pp. 199-208, doi : 10.1016 / j.crpv.2004.03.001 , digital version (PDF; 413.28 KB) .
  2. ^ Paul Upchurch , Paul M. Barrett , Peter Dodson : Sauropoda. In: David B. Weishampel , Peter Dodson, Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . 2nd edition. University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 2004, ISBN 0-520-24209-2 , pp. 259-324, here p. 271.
  3. ↑ a b c d Zhiming Dong , Shiwu Zhou, Yihong Zhang: [Dinosaurs from the Jurassic of Sichuan]. In: Palaeontologica Sinica. No. 162 = New Series C, No. 23, 1983, pp. 1–136, (In Chinese language and writing; translation: Dinosaurs from the Jurassic of Sichuan. (PDF; 2.79 MB) ).
  4. ^ David D. Gillette, The geographic and phylogenetic position of sauropod dinosaurs from the Kota formation (Early Jurassic) of India. In: Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. Vol. 21, No. 6, 2003, pp. 683-689, doi : 10.1016 / S1367-9120 (02) 00170-0 .
  5. ^ John S. McIntosh: Sauropoda. In: David B. Weishampel, Peter Dodson, Halszka Osmólska (eds.): The Dinosauria . University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 1990, ISBN 0-520-06726-6 , pp. 345-401, here p. 377.

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