[D] Yizhousaurus sunae [nG]
Describer
Chatterjee, Wang, Pan, Dong, Wu & Upchurch 2010
Time
Jurassic Early
Classification
Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Sauropoda Nomen Nudem
Diet
Herbivore
Fossilsite
Lower Lufeng Formation, Yunnan, China
Info
Chatterjee, S., Wang, T., Pan, S.G., Dong, Z., Wu, X.C., and Upchurch, P. (2010). \\\"A complete skeleton of a basal Sauropod Dinosaur from the early Jurassic of China and the origin of Sauropoda\\\". Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 42 (5): 26. GSA Denver Annual Meeting (31 October –3 November 2010) Presentation Paper No. 2-1
Abstract
Sauropods were very successful group of herbivorous dinosaurs in terrestrial ecosystems, but their early evolution is poorly understood because of a highly incomplete fossil record. Characterizing the evolutionary history of early sauropods is central to understanding their rise and diversification in the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Here we report the discovery of a nearly complete and exquisitely preserved skeleton of a basal sauropod from the Lower Lufeng Formation (Early Jurassic) in Yunnan, China that fills a critical gap in the early evolution of sauropod dinosaurs.
The new taxon, Yizhousaurus sunae gen. et sp. nov., is the most complete basal sauropod currently known with intact skull; it is an important transitional fossil documenting the evolution of sauropods from prosauropods. The skull of Yizhousaurus is particularly significant because basal sauropods are diagnosed solely on the basis of fragmentary postcranial material. The new material reveals a mosaic of plesiomorphic and derived features that clarify early sauropod evolution, increase our anatomical knowledge of basal sauropods, and shed new light on their patterns of early diversifications.
Chatterjee, Wang, Pan, Dong, Wu & Upchurch 2010
Time
Jurassic Early
Classification
Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Sauropoda Nomen Nudem
Diet
Herbivore
Fossilsite
Lower Lufeng Formation, Yunnan, China
Info
Chatterjee, S., Wang, T., Pan, S.G., Dong, Z., Wu, X.C., and Upchurch, P. (2010). \\\"A complete skeleton of a basal Sauropod Dinosaur from the early Jurassic of China and the origin of Sauropoda\\\". Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 42 (5): 26. GSA Denver Annual Meeting (31 October –3 November 2010) Presentation Paper No. 2-1
Abstract
Sauropods were very successful group of herbivorous dinosaurs in terrestrial ecosystems, but their early evolution is poorly understood because of a highly incomplete fossil record. Characterizing the evolutionary history of early sauropods is central to understanding their rise and diversification in the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Here we report the discovery of a nearly complete and exquisitely preserved skeleton of a basal sauropod from the Lower Lufeng Formation (Early Jurassic) in Yunnan, China that fills a critical gap in the early evolution of sauropod dinosaurs.
The new taxon, Yizhousaurus sunae gen. et sp. nov., is the most complete basal sauropod currently known with intact skull; it is an important transitional fossil documenting the evolution of sauropods from prosauropods. The skull of Yizhousaurus is particularly significant because basal sauropods are diagnosed solely on the basis of fragmentary postcranial material. The new material reveals a mosaic of plesiomorphic and derived features that clarify early sauropod evolution, increase our anatomical knowledge of basal sauropods, and shed new light on their patterns of early diversifications.