Paralitherizinosaurus

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Paralitherizinosaurus
Temporal range:
Late Cretaceous, Campanian
Paralitherizinosaurus holotype skeletal.png
Known fossil material
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Therizinosauridae
Genus: Paralitherizinosaurus
Kobayashi et al., 2022
Species:
P. japonicus
Binomial name
Paralitherizinosaurus japonicus
Kobayashi et al., 2022

Paralitherizinosaurus is an extinct genus of therizinosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Osoushinai Formation of Hokkaido, Japan. The genus contains a single species, P. japonicus, known from a partial right hand and cervical vertebra. Paralitherizinosaurus represents the youngest therizinosaur known from Japan. [1]

Contents

Discovery and naming

Holotype block Paralitherizinosaurus holotype block.png
Holotype block
Japan location map with side map of the Ryukyu Islands.svg
Red pog.svg
Paralitherizinosaurus type locality at Nakagawa, Hokkaido, Japan
Life restoration Paralitherizinosaurus Restoration.png
Life restoration

The Paralitherizinosaurus holotype specimen, NMV-52, was discovered in September 2000 in layers of the Osoushinai Formation (Yezo Group) in Nakagawa, Hokkaido, Japan, which dates to the early Campanian age of the late Cretaceous period. The specimen consists of a partial cervical vertebra and the metacarpal I, proximal ends of unguals I and II, and nearly complete ungual III of the right hand. [1] [2]

Some of these remains were first described by Murakami et al. in 2008 as belonging to an indeterminate genus of maniraptoran theropod, possibly with therizinosauroid affinities. [2] In 2022, Kobayashi et al. described Paralitherizinosaurus as a new genus and species of therizinosaurid making it the third therizinosaur found in Japan. [3] This taxon represents the first named therizinosaur from Japan, with two other unnamed specimens being known. The generic name, "Paralitherizinosaurus", combines the Greek words "paralos", meaning "tidal" and "therizo", meaning "scythe", and the Latin "sauros", meaning "lizard". The specific name, "japonicus", refers to the taxon's discovery in Japan. [1]

Classification

In their phylogenetic analyses, Kobayashi et al. (2022) recovered Paralitherizinosaurus as a member of a clade containing Therizinosaurus , Suzhousaurus , and an unnamed therizinosaurid from the Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. The cladogram below displays the results of their phylogenetic analyses. [1]

Therizinosauria
Falcarius
Falcarius Restoration.png
Jianchangosaurus
Jianchangosaurus Restoration.png
Beipiaosaurus
Beipiaosaurus Restoration.png

Lingyuanosaurus

Alxasaurus
Alxasaurus YWRA 400.JPG
Therizinosauridae
Erliansaurus
Erliansaurus bellamanus.jpg

Neimongosaurus Neimongosaurus.jpg

Enigmosaurus
Enigmosaurus Restoration.jpg
Paralitherizinosaurus
Paralitherizinosaurus Restoration.png

Bissekty therizinosaurid

Therizinosaurus
Therizinosaurus Restoration.png
Suzhousaurus
Suzhousaurus.JPG
Nanshiungosaurus
Nanshiungosaurus Restoration.png
Erlikosaurus
Erlikosaurus Restoration.png
Segnosaurus
Segnosaurus Restoration.jpg
Nothronychus mckinleyi
Nothronychus mckinleyi Restoration.png
Nothronychus graffami
Nothronychus graffami Restoration.png

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Yoshitsugu Kobayashi is a Japanese vertebrate paleontologist. He is a professor and the assistant director in Hokkaido University Museum. His major achievements include the description and naming of several dinosaurs from Japan, for example, Kamuysaurus, Yamatosaurus and Paralitherizinosaurus. He is also a research affiliate of Perot Museum of Nature and Science, a member of Jurassic Foundation, a councilor of Palaeontological Society of Japan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kobayashi, Yoshitsugu; Takasaki, Ryuji; Fiorillo, Anthony R.; Chinzorig, Tsogtbaatar; Hikida, Yoshinori (2022). "New therizinosaurid dinosaur from the marine Osoushinai Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Japan) provides insight for function and evolution of therizinosaur claws". Scientific Reports. 12 (7207). doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-11063-5 . ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   9065154 .
  2. 1 2 Murakami, Mizuki; Hirayama, Ren; Hikida, Yoshinori; Hirano, Hiromichi (2008). "A theropod dinosaur (Saurischia: Maniraptora) from the Upper Cretaceous Yezo Group of Hokkaido, Northern Japan". Paleontological Research. 12 (4): 421–425. doi:10.2517/prpsj.12.421. ISSN   1342-8144. S2CID   128744799.
  3. "New Dinosaur Species Identified in Japan | Sci-News.com". Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. Retrieved 25 May 2022.