Dongbeititan Temporal range: Early Cretaceous (Barremian), | |
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Dongbeititan hunted by Yutyrannus | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | † Sauropodomorpha |
Clade: | † Sauropoda |
Clade: | † Macronaria |
Clade: | † Somphospondyli |
Genus: | † Dongbeititan Wang et al., 2007 |
Type species | |
†Dongbeititan dongi Wang et al., 2007 |
Dongbeititan is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous-age Yixian Formation of Beipiao, Liaoning, China. It is based on holotype DNHM D2867, a partial postcranial skeleton including bones from the limbs, shoulder and pelvic girdles, and vertebrae, which was described in 2007. Its describers suggested it was as a basal titanosauriform, not as derived as Gobititan or Jiutaisaurus , but more derived than Euhelopus , Fusuisaurus , and Huanghetitan . The type species is D. dongi, and it is the first named sauropod from the Yixian Formation, which is part of the well-known Jehol Group. The genus name refers to the region Dongbei and to Greek titan, "giant". The specific name honours the Chinese paleontologist Dong Zhiming. [1] Like other sauropods, Dongbeititan would have been a large quadrupedal herbivore. [2]
Fossils of an unknown dinosaur were found in north-eastern China, in western Liaoning province, in the region of Beipiao. The bones lay in a valley between Libalang and Er Valleys, about 5 km north-western from Sihetun Fossil Museum in Beipiao. This area is covered by rocks belonging to the Jehol Group, formed in the Early Cretaceous. Between these rocks numerous discoveries have already been made. [1] Xu & Norel (2006) enlisted from Jehol group 25 species of non-avian dinosaurs, among them Ornithopoda ( Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis, Jinzhousaurus yangi), Ankylosauria ( Liaoningosaurus paradoxus) and Ceratopsia ( Psittacosaurus meileyingensis, P. mongoliensis, P. sp., Hongshanosaurus houi, Liaoceratops yanzigouensis), and especially members of different Coelurosauria groups, such as Compsognathidae ( Huaxiagnathus orientalis, Sinosauropteryx prima), Therizinosauroidea ( Beipiaosaurus inexpectus), Ornithomimosauria ( Shenzhousaurus orientalis), Oviraptorosauria ( Caudipteryx zou, C. dongi, Incisivosaurus gauthieri), Tyrannosauroidea ( Dilong paradoxus , D. sp.). [3] (their list does not include taxa described later, as Yutyrannus ), [4] Dromaeosauridae ( Graciliraptor lujiatunensis, Microraptor gui, M. zhaoianus, Sinornithosaurus milleni), Troodontidae ( Sinovenator changii, Mei long, Sinucerasaurus magodens), and further unclassified ( Protarchaeopteryx robusta, Yixianosaurus longimanus). Remains of Sauropodomorpha were found only in the form of fossils incertae sedis. [3] No taxon had been described from them, which made the picture of Jehol fauna incomplete. The aforementioned new fossils were found in the rocks of Jehol group-belonging Yixian Formation, formed in barremian. In 2006 the fossils were gained by the Natural History Museum in Dalian and the Lufeng Dinosaur Research Center of Yunnan Province offered help in specimen preparation. The specimen was exposed by the mentioned museum, cataloged as D2867. [1]
The bones were characterized by a camelar structure of presacral vertebrae, pneumatocoels on proximal extremities of dorsal costae, and medially bent proximal femur. Mentioned traits suggest that the specimen belongs to Titanosauriformes, [1] a sauropod group from Macronarian line, one of 2 main lines of evolutionarily derived sauropods. [5] Titanosauriformes, created by Leonardo Salgado, contain Brachiosaurus and Titanosauria. [6] It means it comprise Brachiosauridae, Euhelopus and Titanosauria, wherein the last two of mentioned made up a clade Somphospondyli. [5] The newly described specimen belongs to Somphospondyli too, but not to Titanosauria, [1] defined as all Titanosauriformes closer to Saltasaurus than Brachiosaurus or Euhelopus. [6] This evolutionary advanced group links Saltasauridae, Nemegtosauridae and Malawisaurus . [5] Authors, besides they classified the new taxon in Somphospondyli, described it as a basal Titanosauriformes member. As traits distinguishing it from its relatives, they point out firstly coracoid bone elongated anteroposteriorly and of square capitoventral end and secondly long, smooth, slightly convex acetabular margin of pubic bone. Having given the diagnostic traits, the authors could describe a new genus of Dinosauria. They named it Dongbeititan. The generic name refers to a place where the bones have been found, a Dongbei region containing Chinese provinces Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. Its name comes from chinese language. To that Dongbei second word titan was joined. It descends from greek and was denoting enormous giants from Greek mythology, [1] Titans, sons of Uranus and Gaia, a primordial deities defeated by later Olimpic gods. [7] In the genus a single species was placed, namely Dongbeititan dongi. Its specific epithet honors palaeontology professor Dong Zhiming in recognition of his contributions to research and education in the field of Chinese dinosaurs. Wang et al. didn't publish in their paper any cladogram presenting the position of the new genus on the evolutionary tree of Titanosauriformes. [1]
Caudipteryx is a genus of small oviraptorosaur dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Early Cretaceous, around 124.6 million years ago. They were feathered and extremely birdlike in their overall appearance, to the point that some paleontologists suggested it was a bird. Two species have been described: C. zoui, in 1998, and C. dongi, in 2000.
Titanosaurs were a diverse group of sauropod dinosaurs, including genera from all seven continents. The titanosaurs were the last surviving group of long-necked sauropods, with taxa still thriving at the time of the extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous. This group includes some of the largest land animals known to have ever existed, such as Patagotitan—estimated at 37 m (121 ft) long with a weight of 69 tonnes —and the comparably-sized Argentinosaurus and Puertasaurus from the same region.
The Yixian Formation is a geological formation in Jinzhou, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, that spans the late Barremian and early Aptian stages of the Early Cretaceous. It is known for its exquisitely preserved fossils, and is mainly composed of basalts interspersed with siliciclastic sediments.
The Brachiosauridae are a family or clade of herbivorous, quadrupedal sauropod dinosaurs. Brachiosaurids had long necks that enabled them to access the leaves of tall trees that other sauropods would have been unable to reach. In addition, they possessed thick spoon-shaped teeth which helped them to consume tough plants more efficiently than other sauropods. They have also been characterized by a few unique traits or synapomorphies; dorsal vertebrae with 'rod-like' transverse processes and an ischium with an abbreviated pubic peduncle.
Euhelopus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived between 145 and 133 million years ago during the Berriasian and Valanginian stages of the Early Cretaceous in what is now Shandong Province in China. It was a large quadrupedal herbivore. Like sauropods such as brachiosaurs and titanosaurs, Euhelopus had longer forelegs than hind legs. This discovery was paleontologically significant because it represented the first dinosaur scientifically investigated from China: seen in 1913, rediscovered in 1922, and excavated in 1923 and studied by T'an during the same year. Unlike most sauropod specimens, it has a relatively complete skull.
Sinovenator is a genus of troodontid dinosaur from China. It is from the early Cretaceous Period.
Liaoningosaurus is an unusual genus of basal ankylosaurid dinosaur from the Liaoning Province, China that lived during the Early Cretaceous in what is now the Yixian and Jiufotang Formation. The type and only species, Liaoningosaurus paradoxus, is known from more than 20 specimens, with some representing juveniles. It was named in 2001 by Xu, Wang and You.
Graciliraptor is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the early Cretaceous Period. It is a microraptorine dromaeosaurid.
Phuwiangosaurus is a genus of titanosaur dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian) Sao Khua Formation of Thailand. The type species, P. sirindhornae, was described by Martin, Buffetaut, and Suteethorn in a 1993 press release and was formally named in 1994. The species was named to honor Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, who was interested in the geology and palaeontology of Thailand, while the genus was named after the Phu Wiang area, where the fossil was discovered.
The Jehol Biota includes all the living organisms – the ecosystem – of northeastern China between 133 and 120 million years ago. This is the Lower Cretaceous ecosystem which left fossils in the Yixian Formation and Jiufotang Formation. These deposits are composed of layers of tephra and sediment. It is also believed to have left fossils in the Sinuiju series of North Korea. The ecosystem in the Lower Cretaceous was dominated by wetlands and numerous lakes. Rainfall was seasonal, alternating between semiarid and mesic conditions. The climate was temperate. The Jehol ecosystem was interrupted periodically by ash eruptions from volcanoes to the west. The word "Jehol" is a historical transcription of the former Rehe Province.
Diamantinasaurus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod from Australia that lived during the early Late Cretaceous, about 94 million years ago. The type species of the genus is D. matildae, first described and named in 2009 by Scott Hocknull and colleagues based on fossil finds in the Winton Formation. Meaning "Diamantina lizard", the name is derived from the location of the nearby Diamantina River and the Greek word sauros, "lizard". The specific epithet is from the Australian song Waltzing Matilda, also the locality of the holotype and paratype. The known skeleton includes most of the forelimb, shoulder girdle, pelvis, hindlimb and ribs of the holotype, and one shoulder bone, a radius and some vertebrae of the paratype.
The Yixian Formation is a geological formation in Jinzhou, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, that spans about 1.6 million years during the early Cretaceous period. It is known for its fossils, listed below.
Yutyrannus is a genus of proceratosaurid tyrannosauroid dinosaur which contains a single known species, Yutyrannus huali. This species lived during the early Cretaceous period in what is now northeastern China. Three fossils of Yutyrannus huali —all found in the rock beds of Liaoning Province— are currently the largest-known carnivorous dinosaur specimens that preserve direct evidence of feathers.
Yunmenglong is an extinct genus of somphospondylan sauropod known from the late Early Cretaceous of Henan Province, central China. Its remains were discovered in the Haoling Formation of the Ruyang Basin. The type species is Yunmenglong ruyangensis, described in 2013 by Junchang Lü et al. on the basis of an incomplete postcranial skeleton. Yunmenglong shares some characters with Euhelopus, Qiaowanlong and Erketu, and a phylogenetic analysis places it as a sister taxon of Qiaowanlong, both grouped with Erketu in a position more derived than Euhelopus but basal to Titanosauria.
"Beipiaognathus" is a dubious genus of coelurosaurian theropod from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. The type species is "Beipiaognathus jii" and it was named and described by Hu et al. in 2016.
Daliansaurus is a genus of small troodontid theropod dinosaur, measuring approximately 1 metre long, from the Early Cretaceous of China. It contains a single species, D. liaoningensis, named in 2017 by Shen and colleagues from a nearly complete skeleton preserved in three dimensions. Daliansaurus is unusual in possessing an enlarged claw on the fourth digit of the foot, in addition to the "sickle claw" found on the second digit of the feet of most paravians. It also has long metatarsal bones, and apparently possesses bird-like uncinate processes. In the Lujiatun Beds of the Yixian Formation, a volcanically-influenced region with a cold climate, Daliansaurus lived alongside its closest relatives - Sinovenator, Sinusonasus, and Mei, with which it forms the group Sinovenatorinae.
Liaoningvenator is a genus of troodontid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of China. It contains a single species, L. curriei, named after paleontologist Phillip J. Currie in 2017 by Shen Cai-Zhi and colleagues from an articulated, nearly complete skeleton, one of the most complete troodontid specimens known. Shen and colleagues found indicative traits that placed Liaoningvenator within the Troodontidae. These traits included its numerous, small, and closely packed teeth, as well as the vertebrae towards the end of its tail having shallow grooves in place of neural spines on their top surfaces.
Sibirotitan is a genus of somphospondyl sauropod from the Ilek Formation of Russia. The type and only species is S. astrosacralis.
Liaoningotitan is a genus of titanosauriform sauropod from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China.
Ruixinia is an extinct genus of somphospondylan titanosauriform dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) Yixian Formation of China. The genus contains a single species, Ruixinia zhangi. The Ruixinia holotype is a partial articulated skeleton with the most complete series of caudal vertebrae known from any Asian titanosauriform.