A New Basal Titanosaur (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of China

A new dinosaur of Early Cretaceous age was recently discovered from the Mazongshan area of northwestern Gansu Province, China. The new dinosaur represents a new genus and species of Sauropoda, and is among the most basal members of Titanosauria. Its finding also suggests that titanosaurs might have originated in Asia no later than the Early Cretaceous.     

A New Protoceratopsid (Dinosauria: Neoceratopsia) from the Late Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China

An almost complete skull, which was collected from the Upper Cretaceous of the Bayan Mandahu area in Inner Mongolia, China by the Sino-Canadian Dinosaur Project, is described and assigned to a new genus of protoceratopsid dinosaur, Magnirostris dodsoni gen. et sp. nov. This new taxon is distinguished from other protoceratopsids by the robust rostral bone and the existence of incipient orbital horn cores. The existence of an additional antorbital fenestra indicates a close relationship between Magnirostris and Bagaceratops.     

New Material of Sinosauropteryx （Theropoda： Compsognathidae） from Western Liaoning, Chinae

An incomplete specimen of Sinosauropteryx prima collected from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of the Dawangzhangzi area in Lingyuan, western Liaoning is depicted. It represents the first systematically described material of this feathered compsognathid outside the Sihetun area in Beipiao. This specimen shows some diagnostic features of Sinosauropteryx prima, such as the very short forelimb in relation to hindlimb with the length ratio of humerus plus radius to femur plus tibia just around 30%, and the long and massive first manual ungual subequal in length to radius. The presence of Sinosauropteryx prima only at Sihetun and Dawangzhangzi supports the suggestion that the fossil-bearing beds in the Sihetun and Dawangzhangzi areas are equivalent to each other within the Yixian Formation.     

A New Species of Huaxiapterus （Pterosauria： Tapejaridae） from the Early Cretaceous of Western Liaoning, China

A new species of Huaxiapterus： H. benxiensis sp. nov. is erected based on the new specimen. The diagnostic characters of Huaxiapterus benxiensis are well-developed premaxillary crest and parietal spine, the crest and spine parallel and extending posterodorsally, and a shallow groove present on the dorsal surface of the anterior portion of the mandibular symphysis. The different skull morphologies of Chinese tapejarid pterosaurs indicate that they are much more diverse than the previous thought.     

A New Ornithocheirid from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China

Based on a nearly complete skeleton with skull from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, a new ornithocheirid pterosaur: Boreopterus cuiae gen. et sp. nov. is erected. Boreopterus cuiae is different from other pterosaurs preserved with skulls known from the western Liaoning Province and its neighboring areas. Tiffs new oterosaur has more and larger teeth than those in other ornithocheirids. Its anterior nine pairs of teeth are larger than other teeth. The fourth pair of upper and lower teeth are slightly larger than the third pair. Overall, Boreopterus cuiae shows much small range of tooth size variation than Anhanguerapiscator and Coloborhynchus robustus. The new taxon shares with other ornithocherids in having a relatively large size of the third and fourth pairs of teeth.     

On a New Genus of Basal Neoceratopsian Dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Gansu Province, China

1 Introduction The Mazongshan area in northwestern China yields a diverse dinosaur assemblage, including members of Theropoda, Sauropoda, Ankylosauridae, Euornithopoda, and Ceratopsia (Dong, 1997; You, 2002). This assemblage is characterized by several well-established taxa, such as the basal neoceratopsian Archaeoceratops oshimai (Dong and Azuma, 1997; You and Dodson, 2003), the basal hadrosauroid Equijubus normani (You et al., 2003a), and the basal titanosaurian Gobititan shenzhouensi…     

A Nwe Hadrosauroid Dinosaur from the Mid—Cretaceous of Liaoning,China

A new hadrosauroid dinosaur,Shuangmiaosaurus gilmorei gen.et sp.nov,is descuibed based on a complete left maxilla with articulated premaxilla and lacrimal fragments,and a complete left dentary from the mid-Cretaceous Sunjiawan Formation of Beipiao.Liaoning,northeastern China.Chadistic analysis shows that Shuangmiaosaurus is a basal hadrosauroid,and comprises the sister taxon to Hadrosauridae.In both Shuangmiaosqurus and Hadrosaurids.However,Shuangmiaosaurus does not possess such hadrosaurid synapomorphies as the diamond-shaped maxillary crowns with reduced primary ridges and reduced marginal denticles.     

Pygostyle-like Structure from Beipiaosaurus (Theropoda, Therizinosauroidea) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China

Pygostyle was previously considered as a unique structure of ornithothoracine birds, used to maneuver tail feathers. A similar structure from an oviraptorosaurian dinosaur was considered functionally associated with the rectrices as in birds. We report a pygostyle-like structure from a therizinosauroid dinosaur. The presence of filamentous integuments, but absence of rectrices, on the tail of this therizinosauroid, combined with other lines of evidence, suggests that the initial function of the pygostyle was not related to the rectrices.     

A New Carcharodontosauria (Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Guangxi, Southern China

A new large-bodied theropod dinosaur,Datanglong guangxiensis gen.et sp.nov.,was recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Xinlong Formation of the Datang Basin,Guangxi.It is unique in several features including:posteriormost dorsal vertebra with teardrop-shaped pneumatic foramen confined by enlarged pcdl,acpl and the centrum; posteriormost dorsal with well-developed,horizontal prpl; posteriormost dorsal with a parapophysis projecting more laterally than the diapophysis; brevis fossa shallow with short,ridge-like medial blade; and iliac pubic peduncle with posteroventrally expanded margin.Cladistic analysis supports the idea that this new taxon Datanglong guangxiensis is a primitive member of the Carcharodontosauria in possessing two unambiguous synapomorphies:large external pneumatic foramina and internal spaces present in the lateral surface of ilium,and a peg-and-socket ischiac articulation with the ilium.The presence of the new taxon from Guangxi further confirms that Carcharodontosauria were cosmopolitan large-bodied predators during the Early–mid Cretaceous.     

New Material of Pterosaur Sinopterus （Reptilia： Pterosauria） from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation, Western Liaoning, China

1 Introduction The Jiufotang Formation is one of the most fossil- productive Early Cretaceous deposits of China. It overlies the famous Yixian Formation from which many important taxa were found (Ji et al., 2004; Chang et al., 2003; Zhou et al., 2003). In addition to other vertebrates, pterosaurs, the first flying reptiles in Earth history, are also abundant in the Jiufotang Formation. At present, nine species belonging to five genera have been reported from the Jiufotang Formation. The…     

Therizinosauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Uzbekistan

Skeletal remains of indeterminate therizinosauroid dinosaurs are present in the Cenomanian Khodzhakul Formation and common in the Turonian Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. At least two taxa are present in the Bissekty Formation based on different frontal and humerus morphotypes. Phylogenetic analysis based on a dataset with 348 morphological characters and including all known therizinosaurian taxa places the Bissekty taxa as derived non-therizinosaurid therizinosauroids. The Bissekty therizinosauroids are more derived than Alxasaurus elesitaiensis in the extensive pneumatization of the postcranial axial skeleton, the absence of teeth in the anterior portion of the dentary, the weak development or even absence of pits for the collateral ligaments on the manual phalanges, and the subtriangular medial aspect of the distal end of the humerus, with the entepicondyle positioned well medial to the ulnar condyle. They are less derived than Therizinosauridae in the presence of a basisphenoid recess, the absence of pneumatic openings on the anterior caudal vertebrae, the distal end of metacarpal III not being ginglymoid in dorsal view, and the separation of the femoral head from the neck of that bone by a raised ventral rim.     

Troodontidae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Uzbekistan

To date three taxa of troodontid theropod dinosaurs have been recognized from Upper Cretaceous strata in two regions of the Kyzylkum Desert in Uzbekistan. The Cenomanian Khodzhakul Formation in the southwestern Kyzylkum Desert has yielded isolated serrated teeth and some postcranial bones of an indeterminate troodontid. In the central Kyzylkum Desert troodontids are known from the Cenomanian Dzharakuduk Formation (Urbacodon itemirensis) and the Turonian Bissekty Formation (Urbacodon sp.). Urbacodon itemirensis is known from a single dentary whereas Urbacodon sp. is represented by isolated teeth, maxilla and dentary fragments, a partial braincase, and some postcranial bones. The troodontid affinities of Urbacodon are supported by several synapomorphies: presence of a subotic recess; reduced basal tubera placed directly under the occipital condyle; maxilla participating in the margin of the external naris; nutrient foramina on dentary situated within a deep lateral groove; dentary without distinct interdental plates; large number of small dentary and maxillary teeth; teeth constricted between root and crown; anterior dentary teeth smaller, more numerous, more closely spaced than those in the middle of the tooth row, and implanted in a groove; posterior dorsal vertebrae with tall and posterodorsally tapering neural spines; and presence of a midline sulcus on the neural arches of distal caudals. Among Troodontidae, Urbacodon resembles Byronosaurus, Gobivenator, and Xixiasaurus in the absence of serrations on the tooth crowns and having premaxillary teeth that are D-shaped in cross-section. However, phylogenetic analysis did not recover a clade of Asiatic troodontids with unserrated teeth.     

Ornithomimidae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Bissekty Formation (Upper Cretaceous: Turonian) of Uzbekistan

The stratigraphically oldest remains of ornithomimid theropod dinosaurs are known from the Cenomanian Khodzhakul Formation and the Turonian Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. The ornithomimid from the Bissekty Formation is documented by more than 800 isolated bones that represent much of the skeleton. It shows at least three unambiguous synapomorphies of Ornithomimidae: length of anterior cervical centra three to five times greater than transverse width; low and rounded fibular crest of tibia; metatarsal III pinched between metatarsals II and IV; and proximal end of metatarsal III not visible in anterior view. Phylogenetic analysis, based on a dataset with 568 morphological characters and including all known ornithomimosaurian taxa, places the ornithomimid from the Bissekty Formation near the base of the ornithomimid radiation, between Archaeornithomimus asiaticus and Sinornithomimus dongi.     

A New Specimen of Liaoceratops yanzigouensis (Dinosauria:Neoceratopsia) from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China

A new specimen of basal neoceratopsian dinosaur Liaoceratops yanzigouensis is described. The specimen comes from the Lujiatun Bed of the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Beipiao City of western Liaoning Province, and is represented by a very well preserved three-dimensional partial skull and mandible. It is also the smallest among the three specimens of L. yanzigouensis, and several features in the new specimen, such as the short preorbital length and the round rostroventral orbital rim, can be ontogenetically-related. The superb exposure of the palatal complex may be caused by the removing of its brain by a small predator in the contemporary Jehol Biota.     

Dentaries of a caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Nemegt Formation of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia

A symphyseal region of the fused dentaries of a caenagnathid theropod is described from the Upper Cretaceous Nemegt Formation at the Bugin Tsav locality in the Mongolian Gobi Desert. In contrast to the high diversity of Caenagnathidae in the upper Campanian to Maastrichtian in North America, only specimens of a single caenagnathid, Elmisaurus raurus, have been reported in the coeval strata in Asia. Although dentaries are commonly-found bones in the fossil record of Caenagnathidae, the present specimen is the first discovery of caenagnathid dentaries from the upper Campanian to Maastrichtian in Asia. The Nemegt Formation is unique for its diverse oviraptorosaurian fauna that includes both Caenagnathidae and Oviraptoridae as well as the non-caenagnathoid Avimimus portentosus. Hypothesized coexistence of eolian and fluvial environments in the Gobi Basin during the deposition of the Nemegt Formation might explain such co-occurrence of Caenagnathidae and Oviraptoridae.     

Reassessment of coelurosaurian (Dinosauria,Theropoda) remains from the Upper Cretaceous Wangshi Group of Shandong Province,China

Non-avian theropods are well represented in the Cretaceous of Asia. However, the first theropod remains ever reported from China, from the Wangshi Group of Shandong Province, have not been reassessed since they were described by Carl Wiman in 1929, despite the great strides that have been made in theropod phylogenetics in the last eight decades. The remains redescribed herein consist of four vertebrae (two cervicals, one dorsal and one caudal) from one site, and a caudal vertebra and ungual phalanx from another. The vertebrae from the first site are assigned to tyrannosauroids and ornithomimosaurs, as is the caudal vertebra from the second site, whereas the manual ungual also bears resemblances to those of non-maniraptoran coelurosaurs (specifically compsognathids and ornithomimosaurs). Theropods remain relatively rare in the Wangshi Group; nevertheless, the remains redescribed herein highlight the potential for the discovery of more theropod remains in future excavations.     

甘肃马鬃山地区早白垩世晚期恐龙化石

结合以往的研究对发现于甘肃马鬃山地区公婆泉盆地和俞井子盆地的恐龙化石进行了总结。基于恐龙化石的产出层位和组合成员的相似性,将两地的恐龙归入同一个恐龙化石组合——马鬃山恐龙化石组合,其时代为早白垩世阿普特中晚期—阿尔布早中期。另外,通过与辽西热河生物群早白垩世的恐龙化石进行对比,归纳出该组合的特点。马鬃山恐龙化石组合对深入研究中国北方早白垩世恐龙化石的演化过程具有重大意义。