Describer

Lü, Xu, Zhang, Hu, Wu, Jia and Ji Q. 2007

Time

Cretaceous Early Cretaceous Late

Classification

Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Sauropoda Titanosauria Huanghetitanidae

Diet

Herbivore

Fossilsite

Mangchuan Formation, Henan Province, China

Fall under

Huanghetitan liujiaxiaensi

Info

Huanghetitan liujiaxiaensis (You, Li, Zhou and Ji Q. 2006) > Huanghetitan ruyangensis (Lü, Xu, Zhang, Hu, Wu, Jia and Ji Q. 2007)

Huanghetitan ruyangensis is erected based on the following characters: deepest body cavity with a dorsal rib reaching at least 2.93m long, anterior caudal vertebrae with mushroom-shaped neural spines. Based on this new specimen of Hunaghetitan found in the early Late Cretaceous Magchuan Formation of Ruyang, Henan Province, the family Huanghetitanidae fam. nov. is proposed as a new rank to include only the genus Hunaghetitan You et al., 2006. At present, Hunaghetitan includes two species: Huanghetitan liujiaxiaensis You et al., 2006 and Hunaghetitan ruyangensis_ sp. nov. The systematic relationships of Hunaghetitan among sauropod dinosaurs are briefly discussed.

Holotype

Partial skeleton including 6 sacral vertebrae 10 proximal caudal vertebrae; heamal arches, dorsal ribs and one conplete ischium. The specimen (41HIII-0001) is housed in the Henan Geological Museum.

Etymology

Ruyang refers to the Chinese administrative unit Ruyang County of Henan Province, which the holoyype locality belongs to.

Type locality and horizon

Liufugou Village of Liudian, Ruyang County of Henan Province. Mangchuan Formation, early Late Cretaceous.

Diagnosis

New huanghetiniad sauropod differing from Huanghetitan liujiaxiaensis in its gigantic size, with the deepeest known body cavity, one dorsal rib reaching at least 2.93 m in length, antertior caudal vertebrae with short, mushroom-shaped neural spines, neural arches of the anterior caudal vertebrae short with a small neural canal as compared with the centrum. A large deep, oval postspinal fossa present on the posterior surface of the neural spine of the anterior caudal vertebrae.