Dianchungosaurus Temporal range: Early Jurassic, | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Archosauria |
Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
Clade: | Crocodylomorpha |
Clade: | Crocodyliformes |
Genus: | † Dianchungosaurus Young, 1982 |
Species: | †D. lufengensis |
Binomial name | |
†Dianchungosaurus lufengensis Young, 1982 | |
Synonyms | |
Dianchungosaurus (meaning "Dianchung lizard" [1] ) is an extinct genus of mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic of China. It was previously considered a dinosaur, but it was recently reclassified as a mesoeucrocodylian by Paul Barrett and Xing Xu (2005). [2] It is probably the same animal as the informally named "Tianchungosaurus". [1] The type species is D. lufengensis and it was described in 1982. [1] A second species, D. elegans, was named in 1986, [3] but it has since become a synonym of the type species. [2]
Two specimens were originally referred to this taxon: [1]
Both remains come from the Lower Lufeng Formation, near Dianchung, in the Yunnan Province in China. The age of the material is thus Sinemurian (Early Jurassic). [2]
Originally classified by Young in 1982 in Heterodontosauridae, [1] Dianchungosaurus lufengensis' affinities were doubted by some, who regarded it as a nomen dubium, but it was until recently usually considered a valid heterodontosaurid. In 2005, a paper by Barrett and Xu focused on this problematic taxon and found its specimens to form an hypodigm, a chimera of different animals. The holotype, IVPP V4735a, was reclassified as a mesoeucrocodylian, while the paratype, IVPP V4735b, was found to be an indeterminate sauropodomorph. [2]
To maintain the stability in the literature, the holotype retains the name D. lufengensis, while the paratype awaits a formal description. [2]