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Gannanoolithus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
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Egg fossil classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | Theropoda |
Family: | incertae sedis |
Oogenus: | † Gannanoolithus Wu et al., 2024 |
Oospecies | |
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Gannanoolithus (meaning "Gannan stone egg") is an oogenus of dinosaur eggs likely laid by a dromaeosaurid theropod. It contains a single oospecies, G. yingliangi, known from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Lianhe Formation of Jiangxi Province, China.
The generic name, Gannanoolithus, combines "Gannan", an alternate name of Ganzhou City where the fossils were found, with the suffix "‑oolithus", meaning "stone egg". The specific name, yingliangi, honors the Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum, where the fossils are housed. The authors also used the binomial variation "Ganzhouoolithus yingliangensis" in a figure in their publication. [1]
The Gannanoolithus holotype specimen, YLSNHM 01579, consists of a clutch of eight eggs. Specimens CUGW EH067-1 (a single egg) and EH067-2 (a pair of eggs) were also referred to the oogenus. All of the known fossil eggs have been found in layers of the Lianhe Formation in the Shahe Industrial Zone of Ganzhou City in Jiangxi Province, China. The eggs are symmetrically elliptic, ranging in size from 120–133 millimetres (4.7–5.2 in) long. The eggshells are 0.56–0.65 millimetres (0.022–0.026 in) thick. Similar to the preserved eggshells of Deinonychus -like maniraptoran theropods, they demonstrate an angusticanaliculate pore system. The porosity of Gannanoolithus eggs is similar to that of extant crocodilians and galliforms, whose nests are typically covered. [1]
Due to similarities with North American fossil eggs, Gannanoolithus eggs were likely laid by a dromaeosaurid. Notably, the eggs are paired in the holotype clutch, which has been observed in some other ootaxa. This may indicate that the egg layer had paired functional oviducts, as has been suggested for troodontids and oviraptorosaurs. [1]
In their phylogenetic analyses, Wu et al. (2024) found Gannanoolithus to occupy an uncertain position in relation to other dinosaur ootaxa. They recovered it in a polytomy of other theropod eggs which is the sister taxon to oviraptorosaur eggs, most of which belong to the Elongatoolithidae. Their results are displayed in the cladogram below: [1]
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Gigantoraptor is a genus of large oviraptorosaur dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. It is known from the Iren Dabasu Formation of Inner Mongolia, where the first remains were found in 2005.
Elongatoolithus is an oogenus of dinosaur eggs found in the Late Cretaceous formations of China and Mongolia. Like other elongatoolithids, they were laid by small theropods, and were cared for and incubated by their parents until hatching. They are often found in nests arranged in multiple layers of concentric rings. As its name suggests, Elongatoolithus was a highly elongated form of egg. It is historically significant for being among the first fossil eggs given a parataxonomic name.
The Nanxiong Formation is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation in Guangdong Province. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.
Dictyoolithus is an oogenus of dinosaur egg from the Cretaceous of China. It is notable for having over five superimposed layers of eggshell units. Possibly, it was laid by megalosauroid dinosaurs.
Protoceratopsidovum is an oogenus of dinosaur egg from Mongolia. Despite its name, it does not represent the eggs of a protoceratopsid, but rather the eggs of maniraptoran theropods.
Macroelongatoolithus is an oogenus of large theropod dinosaur eggs, representing the eggs of giant caenagnathid oviraptorosaurs. They are known from Asia and from North America. Historically, several oospecies have been assigned to Macroelongatoolithus, however they are all now considered to be a single oospecies: M. carlylensis.
Macroolithus is an oogenus of dinosaur egg belonging to the oofamily Elongatoolithidae. The type oospecies, M. rugustus, was originally described under the now-defunct oogenus name Oolithes. Three other oospecies are known: M. yaotunensis, M. mutabilis, and M. lashuyuanensis. They are relatively large, elongated eggs with a two-layered eggshell. Their nests consist of large, concentric rings of paired eggs. There is evidence of blue-green pigmentation in its shell, which may have helped camouflage the nests.
Continuoolithus is an oogenus of dinosaur egg found in the late Cretaceous of North America. It is most commonly known from the late Campanian of Alberta and Montana, but specimens have also been found dating to the older Santonian and the younger Maastrichtian. It was laid by an unknown type of theropod. These small eggs are similar to the eggs of oviraptorid dinosaurs, but have a distinctive type of ornamentation.
Montanoolithus is an oogenus of fossil egg found in Montana and Alberta. They were probably laid by a dromaeosaur or a caenagnathid.
Paraelongatoolithus is a late Cretaceous oogenus of Chinese fossil egg, classified in the oofamily Elongatoolithidae, which represents the eggs of oviraptorosaurs.
Jiangxisaurus is an extinct genus of oviraptorid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Nanxiong Formation of southern China. It was similar to Heyuannia, but with more strongly curved anterior claws and a thinner, frailer mandible. This find is paleontologically significant because it contributes to current knowledge about the paleogeographical distribution of oviraptorids in southern China. It was most likely an omnivorous animal along with its close relatives Nankangia and Ganzhousaurus.
Qianzhousaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period. There is currently only one species named, the type species Qianzhousaurus sinensis, which is a member of the tribe Alioramini and most closely related to Alioramus, the only other known alioramin.
Coralloidoolithus is an oogenus of dinosaur egg from the Tiantai Basin in Zhejiang Province, containing a single known oospecies C. shizuiwanensis. Formerly, it was classified in the oogenus Paraspheroolithus; however, it was considered sufficiently different to be classified in its own genus. C. shizuiwanensis is similar to Stalicoolithus, leading to their classification in the same family, Stalicoolithidae.
Hemifaveoloolithus is an oogenus of fossil dinosaur egg from the Tiantai basin in Zhejiang Province, China. It is a faveoloolithid, having spherical eggs roughly 13 cm in diameter. The shell is distinctive for being composed of four or five superimposed layers of shell units, and the honeycomb-like arrangement of pore canals.
Heishanoolithus is an oogenus of Elongatoolithid fossil egg from the Shahai Formation in Liaoning. It is known only from seven eggshell fragments. It is most notable for having a very thin eggshell, the dense covering of nodes on the eggshell surface, and for its relatively thin mammilary layer. While no remains of Heishanoolithus have been associated with skeletal remains, strong evidence links Elongatoolithid eggs to Oviraptorosaurs.
Elongatoolithidae is an oofamily of fossil eggs, representing the eggs of oviraptorosaurs. They are known for their highly elongated shape. Elongatoolithids have been found in Europe, Asia, and both North and South America.
Undulatoolithus is an oogenus of Chinese fossil dinosaur egg belonging to Elongatoolithidae. It is very similar to Macroolithus, but has different ornamentation. Like other elongatoolithids, it was probably laid by oviraptorosaurs.
Nipponoolithus is an oogenus of fossil egg native to Japan. It is one of the smallest known dinosaur eggs, and was probably laid by some kind of non-avian maniraptor.
Pachycorioolithus is an oogenus of small, thin-shelled fossil egg from the early Cretaceous in China. It probably belongs to a bird, though there is a possibility the parent was a non-avian theropod. It was named in 2016, based on a single specimen found in Zhejiang.
Nanhsiungoolithus is an oogenus of dinosaur egg from the late Cretaceous of China. It belongs to the oofamily Elongatoolithidae, which means that it was probably laid by an oviraptorosaur, though so far no skeletal remains have been discovered in association with Nanhsiungoolithus. The oogenus contains only a single described oospecies, N. chuetienensis. It is fairly rare, only being know from two partially preserved nests and a few eggshell fragments.