Leshansaurus
| Leshansaurus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Megalosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Afrovenatorinae |
| Genus: | †Leshansaurus Li et al., 2009 |
| Species | |
| |
Leshansaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Mid to Late Jurassic Dashanpu Formation of what is now China. It was described in 2009 by a team of Chinese paleontologists. The type species is L. qianweiensis. Fossils of Leshansaurus were discovered in strata from the Shangshaximiao Formation, a formation rich in dinosaur fossils. Li et al. referred this taxon to Sinraptoridae – a group of carnosaurian theropods,[1] but it may it belong to Megalosauridae instead.[2]
Discovery and naming
The holotype (QW 200701) was found in 2007. It is a fairly complete skeleton consisting of a partial skull and lower jaws, seven cervical vertebrae, twelve dorsal vertebrae, five sacral vertebrae, two caudal vertebrae, and much of the hind limbs and hands. A second specimen (QW 200702), an isolated femur from a juvenile, has been designated as the paratype.
Leshansaurus has an elongated skull that is broader towards the front. The femur has a length of 62 centimeters, and the tibia has a length of 52 centimeters. Its autapomorphies (unique characteristics) are the property of a sharp central ridge on the supraoccipitalis (the bone above the occipital), elongated frontal bones that are 2.86 times as long as they are wide, slender basipterygoid projections on the basisphenoid, a bone of the palate, an atlas intercentrum that is horseshoe-shaped in cross-section, slender diapophyses, Thin protrusions on the dorsal vertebrae and sacral vertebrae, the possession of a clear keel at the bottom of the sacral vertebrae, and an ilium with a distinct ridge along the middle edge of the hip joint.
Leshansaurus was described in 2009 by Li Fei, Peng Guangzhao, Ye Yong, Jiang Shan, and Huang Daxi. The generic name refers to Leshan, a nearby city in Sichuan, China, and the specific epithet refers to Qianwei, the county in which the fossils were found.
Phylogeny
The describers placed Leshansaurus in Sinraptoridae, but they did not carry out a cladistic analysis.
Features
Leshansaurus was a medium-sized theropod that would have had a length of 6 to 7 meters, and a hip height of about one and a half meters.
References
- ^ F. Li; Peng G.; Ye Y.; Jiang S.; and Huang, D. (2009). "A new carnosaur from the Late Jurassic of Qianwei, Sichuan, China". Acta Geologica Sinica 83(9): 1203–1213. Abstract.
- ^ Mortimer, M. "Leshansaurus qianweiensis". The Theropod Database. Retrieved 2 March 2013.