A New Sauropod Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Gaogou Formation of Nanyang,Henan Province

A new sauropod dinosaur Baotianmansaurus henanensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Cretaceous Gaogou Formation of Neixiang, Henan Province is erected. It is characterized by somphospondylous presacral vertebrae; a highly-developed lamina system on the dorsal vertebrae; transverse process supported by four laminae; and the dorsal portion of the anterior centroparapophyseal lamina is bifurcated, with a small branch extending to the ventral surface of the prezygapophysis. It represents a new titanosauriform sauropod.     

A New Titanosauriform Sauropod from the Early Late Cretaceous of Dongyang, Zhejiang Province

A new titanosauriform sauropod Dongyangosaurus sinensis gen. et sp. nov. from the early Late Cretaceous of Dongyang County, Zhejiang Province, is erected based on a partial postcranial skeleton. It is characterized by complex laminae on the lateral surface of the neural spines and postzygapophyses of dorsal vertebrae, a distinct fossa on the ventral surfaces of the prezygapophyses of dorsal vertebrae, distinct fossae are also present on the lateral surface of the postzygapophysis of anterior caudal vertebrae; pubis is shorter than ischium, the small obturator foramen of pubis elongated, and nearly closed. The lamina complexity of dorsal vertebrae in Dongyangosaurus indicates that a higher diversity of titanosauriformes occurred during the early Late Cretaceous in China.     

A New Titanosaurian Sauropod from Late Cretaceous of Nei Mongol, China

A specimen collected from the Upper Cretaceous Erlian Formation of Nei Mongol （Inner Mongolia）, China, represents a new genus and species of titanosaurian sauropod. The new taxon is named and described on the basis of the holotype and the only known specimen, which comprises several dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, several dorsal ribs, one anterior chevron, and much of the pelvis. Diagnostic features of the new species include a thick ridge extending down from the postzygapophysis on the lateral surface of the neural arch of the posterior dorsal vertebrae, a transversely oriented accessory lamina present between the anterior centroparapophyseal limina and the lateral centraprezygapophyseal lamina of the posterior dorsal vertebrae, long, anteroventrally directed caudal rib that bears two distinctive fossae on its posterior margin on the anterior caudal vertebrae and a prominent vertical ridge above the pubic peduncle on the medial surface of the ilium, among others. The ilium is pneumatic, a feature not common among non-avian dinosaurs. The new taxon has an unusual combination of primitive and derived character states. Preliminary character analysis shows a complex character distribution within the Titanosauriformes. Recent titanosauriform discoveries suggest that a significant radiation occurred in Asia early in the titanosauriform evolution.     

A New Eusauropod Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Guangxi Province, Southern China

<正>A new sauropod dinosaur,Liubangosaurus hei gen.et sp.nov.,is erected based on a specimen represented by five articulated middle-caudal dorsal vertebrae,which was discovered in the Lower Cretaceous Napai Formation of Guangxi Province,southern China.This new taxon is diagnosed by a unique combination of derived features:prezygapophysis closely contacts with parapophysis,with the prdl and prpl absent;presence of cavity on the dorsal surface of the diapophysis;neural spine very low,with its distal end level with that of diapophysis;distal end of the neural spine strongly expanded laterally to form a platform;marked fossa formed between the infradiapophyseal lamina and the parapophysis;broad,flat area of featureless bone on lateral surface of neural arch;vertically directed infradiapophyseal lamina expands or bifurcates ventrally to form a inverted "Y";highly positioned parapophyses large and tear-drop in shape.The discovery of this new taxon increases the diversity of sauropods in China during the Early Cretaceous.     

A New Family of Sauropod Dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Tianzhen, Shanxi Province, China

A new gigantic sauropod, Huabeisaurus allocates gen. et sp. nov., about 20 m in length and 5 m in height, was discovered in the Upper Cretaceous Huiquanpu Formation, Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province. It is notably different from Diplodocidae, Titanosauridae and Nemegtosauridae in the following aspects: the teeth are strong, peg-like with a length ratio of the tooth crown to tooth root at about 3 to 1; the cervical vertebrae are long with forked spines; the spines in dorsal vertebrae are relatively high, unbifiarcated; the caudal vertebrae are amphicoelous, with anterior neural spines and unbifurcated spines and chevrons; the femur is straight and long, narrow and flat and the tibia and fibula are long and flat. These characters show that the described genus should represent a new family, Huabeisauridae fam. nov. The discovery enriches the sauropod dinosaur record in China, and is quite significant to the study of the taxonomy, evolution, migration, extinction and palaeobiogeographic provincialism of the     

A new titanosaur (Dinosauria,Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lo Hueco (Cuenca,Spain)

The upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian site of Lo Hueco (Cuenca, Spain) has provided a set of well-preserved partial skeletons in anatomical connection or with a low dispersion of their skeletal elements. One partial skeleton is herein described and a new titanosaurian sauropod is established, Lohuecotitan pandafilandi. This titanosaur is diagnosed by eight autapomorphic features: dorsally and ventrally widened or bifurcated posterior centrodiapophyseal lamina in anterior and middle dorsal vertebrae; short postspinal lamina with a transversely expanded distal end represented by smooth scars in the dorsal vertebrae; anteriormost caudals with the medial spinoprezygapophyseal and medial spinopostzygapophyseal laminae ventrally connected with the prespinal and postspinal laminae, respectively; anterior caudal neural spines with a dorsal projection of the prespinal and postspinal laminae; anterior caudal neural spines bears a “greek-cross”-like cross-section; middle caudal centra having two round and rough structures in the dorsal edge of the posterior articulation, which extends to the dorsal surface of the centrum; the articular ends of the rami of the haemal arches are divided in two articular surfaces; and tuberosity between the anterior and the lateral trochanter of the fibula. The herein performed phylogenetic analysis considered L. pandafilandi as a member of Lithostrotia more derived than Malawisaurus. The known palaeodiversity of the Late Cretaceous Ibero-Armorican titanosaurs is increasing, and further analyses focused on this group will be necessary to better understand the evolutionary history of European titanosaurs and to clarify their relationships within Titanosauria.     

A new sauropod dinosaur (Dinosauria,Sauropoda) from the late Early Cretaceous of the Ruyang Basin (central China)

A new long-necked sauropod dinosaur, Yunmenglong ruyangensis gen. et sp. nov., is erected on the basis of an incomplete skeleton from the late Early Cretaceous Haoling Formation of the Ruyang Basin, Henan Province. The characters of the anterior cervical vertebrae, the shape of the neural canal of the dorsal vertebra and the ball-shaped distal end of the neural spine of caudal vertebrae with coarse surfaces differ from other long-necked sauropod dinosaurs. The new genus has characters in common with both Euhelopus and Erketu; it represents the first long-necked sauropod dinosaur recorded from central China to date. The rod-like, well-developed epipophyses and the pleurocoels on the cervical vertebrae indicate that it may be close to Euhelopus, an observation also confirmed by a phylogenetic analysis, which shows that Erketu, Yunmenglong and Qiaowanlong form a clade, and are more derived than Euhelopus.     

A New Somphospondylan Sauropod (Dinosauria, Titanosauriformes) from the Late Cretaceous of Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province of Southern China

A new somphospondylan sauropod (Dinosauria, Titanosauriformes): Gannansaurus sinensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Late Cretaceous Nanxiong Formation of Ganzhou Basin, Jiangxi Province of southern China is erected based on one nearly complete dorsal vertebra and a mid-caudal vertebra. It is characterized by two centroprezygapophyseal lamina fossae; large, square-shaped concavity formed by centroprezygapophyseal lamina and dorsal margin of the centrum; large infraparapophyseal fossa; three openings present within the large lateral concavity, which occupy 65% length of the centrum; the posterior centroparapophyseal lamina (PCPL) and the anterior centroparapophyseal lamina (ACPL) weakly developed; the posterior centrodiapophyseal lamina (PCDL) separated by an infradiapophyseal fossa into two branches dorsally; parapophyseal and diapophyseal laminae cross to form "K" configuration. It shares some characters with the Early Cretaceous form-Euhelopus, indicating that it is more closely related to Euhelopus rather than to other titanosauriform sauropods. This means Gannansaurus may have a close phylogenetic relationship with Euhelopus.     

The axial skeleton of the titanosaur Lirainosaurus astibiae (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the latest Cretaceous of Spain

Lirainosaurus astibiae was originally described by Sanz and collaborators in 1999 on the basis of a skull fragment, isolated teeth, several vertebrae (e.g. the holotypic anterior caudal vertebra) and appendicular bones from the Late Cretaceous of Laño (northern Spain). A review of all the vertebral remains, including new material (cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, dorsal ribs, haemal arch), provides additional information about the axial skeleton of Lirainosaurus. A study of the laminae and fossae shows interesting variations in these structures in the axial series, especially concerning the prezygapophyses and diapophyses: e.g. the X-shaped morphology of the centroprezygapophyseal lamina only in the posterior dorsal vertebrae, and the division of the postzygodiapophyseal fossa into two fossae in the posterior dorsal vertebrae and the proximal caudal vertebrae. Two vertebral characters are here considered to be autapomorphic for L. astibiae: the presence of a lamina in the interzygapophyseal fossa in the most proximal caudal vertebrae (a postzygodiapophyseal lamina that separates the ventral postzygapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossa and the dorsal postzygapophyseal spinodiapophyseal fossa), and the spinopostzygapophyseal structure not posteriorly projected in the posterior caudal vertebrae. The combination of characters present in the axial remains of Lirainosaurus astibiae supports the idea that it is a derived lithostrotian close to Saltasaurinae.     

A New Gigantic Sauropod Dinosaur with the Deepest Known Body Cavity from the Cretaceous of Asia

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

记河南汝阳白垩纪一新的巨型晰脚类恐龙

记述了产自河南汝阳地区晚白垩世早期莽川组一新的巨型蜥脚类恐龙--巨型汝阳龙(新属新种):Ruyangosaurus giganteus gen.et sp.nov..它具有以下特征:神经棘低,缺少椎前关节突隔板,神经弓的侧面具有大的、不规则的三角形凹,前关节横突隔板前后伸展,胫骨粗壮,达127 cm等.汝阳龙的发现显示在晚白垩世早期蜥脚类恐龙发生的分异程度要比以前想象的高得多.     

记河南汝阳白垩纪一新的巨型蜥脚类恐龙

记述了产自河南汝阳地区晚白垩世早期莽川组一新的巨型蜥脚类恐龙——巨型汝阳龙（新属新种）：Ruyangosaurus giganteus gen. et sp. nov.。它具有以下特征：神经棘低,缺少椎前关节突隔板,神经弓的侧面具有大的、不规则的三角形凹,前关节横突隔板前后伸展,胫骨粗壮,达127cm等。汝阳龙的发现显示在晚白垩世早期蜥脚类恐龙发生的分异程度要比以前想象的高得多。     

炳灵大夏巨龙:中国早白垩世一新巨型蜥脚类恐龙

兰州—民和盆地位于中国西北横跨甘肃和青海两省的毗连地区,其中广泛发育出露良好下白垩统河口群。近年来,在该盆地东部的兰州盆地产出了一个前所未知的脊椎动物组合,其中以诸多的足印化石和世界已知最大牙齿的植食性恐龙——巨齿兰州龙(Lanzhousaurus magnidens)为代表,还包括一类宽臀的基干巨龙型类蜥脚类——刘家峡黄河巨龙(Huanghetitan liujiaxiaensis),以及许多其他尚未发表的恐龙、鱼类和龟类。本文报道在该地区河口群中所发现的第二种新的蜥脚类恐龙——炳灵大夏巨龙(新属新种)(Daxiatitan binglingi gen.et sp.nov.)。炳灵大夏巨龙的正型标本现存于甘肃省地矿局第三地质矿产勘查院古生物研究开发中心(兰州)。该标本包括最后的10枚颈椎,10枚背椎,2枚近端尾椎,部分颈肋和背肋,1枚脉弓,右肩胛骨,右乌喙骨和右股骨。估计其颈部长度为12.2m,整个身体长度为26m,使其成为中国乃至亚洲最大的恐龙之一。大夏巨龙是巨龙类的一个基干分子[其支干定义为:与盐龙(Saltasaurus)而不与腕龙(Brachiosaurus)更具亲缘关系的巨龙型类],其以如下特征区别于其他巨龙类分子:颈椎的前关节面后移;肩胛骨骨体的远缘与其长轴斜交;股骨远端髁相对于股骨体向背侧方倾斜10°,而且从远端看,该远端髁处于后内—前侧方向。大夏巨龙独特的股骨构造指示出一种强烈外撇的走步姿态。同时,这种姿态也得到了保存于刘家峡恐龙国家地质公园同一层位(河口群上段)的强烈外转的、宽间距的蜥脚类恐龙行迹的进一步佐证。炳灵大夏巨龙的发现丰富了兰州盆地脊椎动物组合,对研究巨龙类恐龙的起源和早期演化具有重要意义。     

Amazonsaurus maranhensis gen. et sp. nov. (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) of Brazil

A new genus and species of an Aptian–Albian sauropod from the Itapecuru Formation, northern Brazil, Amazonsaurus maranhensis, is described. It is known from an incomplete, but diagnostic postcranial skeleton. The new taxon possesses several autapomorphies, such as the anterior caudal vertebrae with lateral laminae formed by the coalescence of the spinoprezygapophyseal and postzygodiapophyseal laminae and, to a lesser extent, of the postzygodiapophyseal laminae. It exhibits many synapomorphies supporting its inclusion in the Diplodocoidea. These include high caudal neural arches and anterior caudal neural arches with spinoprezygapophyseal laminae on the lateral aspect of the neural spine. This record is consistent with previous hypotheses on the existence of a community of Afro-South American dinosaurs.     

Additions to the sauropod dinosaur fauna of the Cenomanian (early Late Cretaceous) Kem Kem beds of Morocco: Palaeobiogeographical implications of the mid-Cretaceous African sauropod fossil record

Determining the relationships of mid-Late Cretaceous African taxa is central to understanding the timing and resultant palaeobiogeographical patterns of Gondwanan fragmentation. The early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Kem Kem beds of southeastern Morocco preserve a diverse vertebrate fauna, including sauropod dinosaurs. Sauropod material includes the holotype of the rebbachisaurid diplodocoid Rebbachisaurus garasbae and fragmentary remains representing indeterminate titanosauriforms and rebbachisaurids. Here, we describe two new specimens from the Kem Kem beds. A dorsal neural arch with complex internal pneumaticity is tentatively attributed to a somphospondylan titanosauriform. A caudal vertebra possessing several rebbachisaurid synapomorphies is excavated by a large and pervasive lateral pneumatic foramen, a feature undocumented in other rebbachisaurids. However, caudal vertebrae are currently unknown for the sympatric R. garasbae, so this element could be referable to that taxon or a second, previously unknown, rebbachisaurid species. Interestingly, this new caudal vertebra displays a mosaic of features otherwise restricted to limaysaurine or nigersaurine rebbachisaurids, suggesting a placement basal to these clades, which is the position usually recovered for R. garasbae in phylogenetic analyses. A review of the mid-Cretaceous African sauropod fossil record removes the Cretaceous record of dicraeosaurids from Africa, restricting this clade to a single post-Jurassic occurrence in Argentina. All diagnostic sauropod remains can be attributed to titanosauriforms or rebbachisaurids. Whereas rebbachisaurids were seemingly restricted to northwestern Africa and disappeared post-Cenomanian, titanosauriforms were widespread across the African continent and survived until the latest Cretaceous. The development of the mid-Cretaceous Trans-Saharan Seaway might have acted as a dispersal barrier for rebbachisaurids and other vertebrate groups. In contrast, titanosauriforms might have been able to cross this barrier, but it is possible that they were also unable to disperse, and that northwestern African titanosauriforms were not closely related to taxa from the rest of the African continent. New materials and a better understanding of titanosaur interrelationships will be crucial in teasing these scenarios apart.     

A Basal Titanosauriform from the Early Cretaceous of Guangxi, China

Based on a partial postcranial skeleton collected from the Lower Cretaceous Napai Formation of Guangxi, China, we erect a new sauropod taxon, Fusuisaurus zhaoi gen. et sp. nov. The holotype specimen consists of the left ilium, left pubis, anterior caudals, most of the dorsal ribs and distal end of the left femur. Fusuisaurus zhaoi is diagnosed by a unique combination of character states among the known sauropods. It displays several synapomorphies of Titanosauriformes but lacks many derived features seen in other titanosauriforms, suggesting that the new taxon represents the basalmost known titanosauriform and providing new evidence that Titanosauriformes originated from Asia. A size comparison suggests that Fusuisaurus zhaoi is among the largest Early Cretaceous sauropods, providing an important addition to the Early Cretaceous Chinese sauropod diversity.     

海龙类化石在云南泸西上三叠统的发现

采自云南泸西县城附近小兴安村晚三叠世卡尼期小凹组的海龙化石,是关岭生物群海龙类化石在贵州关岭之外地区的首次发现。该化石标本共保存有9枚较好的背椎骨,21条完好的肋骨及若干腹肋。靠近头部的4枚背椎骨为有次序的自然排列。背椎椎体长约12cm,椎体横突发育,椎体腹侧轻微凹入,呈双凹形,近似圆形。这一特征与鱼龙类脊椎骨明显的双凹特征有所区别,故暂且将其归于海龙类。新采集的该化石标本为探讨海龙类的古地理分布,以及寻找规律生物群新化石产地提供了信息。     

A new Brachiosauridae Sauropod dinosaur from the lower Cretaceous of Europe (Soria Province,Spain)

A new dinosaur sauropod from the Golmayo Formation (upper Hauterivian-lower Barremian) in Soria province (Spain) is described as Soriatitan golmayensis gen. et sp. nov. The new material consists of one tooth, three dorsal vertebrae with ribs, a partial sacrum, five caudal centra, two caudal vertebral spines, one chevron, a humerus, an ulna, a radius, two partial ilia, two ischia, a fragment of pubis, and a partial femur. Cladistic analysis identified the material as belonging to Brachiosaruidae within Titanosauriformes. Sauropod material from the Golmayo Formation shares a diagnostic feature with Abydosaurus, Cedarosaurus, Tastavinsaurus and Venenosaurus including anteriorly deflected anterior–middle caudal neural spines and with Cedarosaurus a proximodistally straight lateral margin between the proximal head and the shaft of the humerus. Eight characters are potential autapomorphies in the sauropod from Spain, including the presence of a large rectangular ventral ridge below the preacetabular process of the ilium, the same length of the pubic and ischiadic blades in the ischium, and two lateral ridges in the lateral area of the deltopectoral crest of the humerus. The presence of Early Cretaceous brachiosarids in both, North America and Europe, give support to the hypothesis of a connection between the tectonic plates of these continents at some point during the Early Cretaceous.     

新疆鄯善中侏罗世巨型蜥脚类恐龙的发现

本文首次报道了鄯善地区中侏罗统齐古组产出一新的、原地保存的巨型蜥脚类恐龙—鄯善新疆巨龙( Xinjiangtitan shanshanesis gen. et sp. nov. ) 。其特征为: 倒第2 节颈椎在腹侧后1 /4 处向后发育一条棱嵴,并在后关节面下形成一小的半圆形突; 最后两节颈椎很长( 其长度之和为股骨、胫骨长度之和的63%) ; 第1 荐肋不参与构成荐椎轭; 股骨非常粗壮( 远端最大宽度为股骨长度的33%) 。支序分析显示新疆巨龙( 新属) 与马龙溪龙互成姊妹群,无疑为马门溪龙科中的一个新的分类群。但新疆巨龙( 新属) 还具有一些更接近于梁龙类的特征,包括发育明显的栖肌突、较短的后肢和股骨第4 转子位于股骨后侧内缘等。新疆巨龙( 新属) 的体长推算为30 ～ 32 m。     

四川犍为晚侏罗世一新的肉食龙类

记述了四川盆地西南部晚侏罗世上沙溪庙组顶部的中国盗龙型肉食龙类化石材料,并依此建立一新属新种——犍为乐山龙 (Leshansaurus qianweiensis gen. et sp. nov.)。它以上枕骨中嵴呈尖峰状,额骨最大长度与最大宽度之比约2.86,基蝶骨之基翼骨突细长,环椎间椎体马蹄形,背椎横突相当细长,背椎和荐椎神经棘非常薄,荐椎椎体具有明显的腹嵴,肠骨内侧髋臼缘存在一明显的嵴等特征区别于其他肉食龙类。犍为乐山龙是目前所知四川盆地产出层位最高的肉食龙材料,它的发现扩大了肉食龙类的时代分布和地理分布,对探讨肉食龙的演化具有比较重要的意义。