Erliansaurus
Encyclopedia
Erliansaurus is a genus
of therizinosauroid theropod dinosaur
from the Late Cretaceous
of China
.
A fossil of Erliansaurus was found near Sanhangobi in Inner-Mongolia. The type species
, Erliansaurus bellamanus, was described by Xu Xing, Zhang Xiaohong, Paul Sereno
, Zhao Xijin
, Kuang Xuewen, Han Jun and Tan Lin in 2002. The generic name refers to the town of Erlian
. The specific name is derived from Latin
bellus, "beautiful", and manus, "hand", in reference to the exquisite preservation of the forelimb.
The holotype
, LH V0002, was uncovered in the Iren Dabasu Formation
dating from the late Campanian
or early Maastrichtian
stage
, around 72-68 million years ago. It consists of a partial skeleton, lacking the skull, of a subadult individual. It includes five vertebrae of the neck, back and tail; a right scapula; a left forelimb lacking the carpus
; parts of the pelvis; a right femur
; both tibia
e, a right fibula and elements of the metatarsus
.
The type specimen represents a subadult about two-and-a-half metre long. In 2010 Gregory S. Paul
estimated the adult length at four metres, the weight at four hundred kilogrammes. The thigh bone is 412 millimetres long.
Erliansaurus was a bipedal herbivore. For a therizinosauroid, its neck was rather short. The tibia was relatively long. Its fibula had an uncommon form, with a very high front edge and a concave top. Its hands bore enormous, strongly recurved and pointed, claws of which the thumb claw was the largest.
Erliansaurus was by the describers assigned to the Therizinosauroidea, in a basal position and likely not a therizinosaurid. Some early cladistic analyses however, have recovered it as a basal member of the Therizinosauridae
. Recent cladistic analyses have recovered it as a therizinosauroid.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of therizinosauroid theropod dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
A fossil of Erliansaurus was found near Sanhangobi in Inner-Mongolia. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, Erliansaurus bellamanus, was described by Xu Xing, Zhang Xiaohong, Paul Sereno
Paul Sereno
Paul Callistus Sereno is an American paleontologist from the University of Chicago who discovered several new dinosaur species on several continents. He has conducted excavations at sites as varied as Inner Mongolia, Argentina, Morocco, and Niger...
, Zhao Xijin
Zhao Xijin
Zhao Xijin is a Chinese paleontologist. He is notable for having named numerous dinosaurs. He is currently a professor at Beijing's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.-Career:...
, Kuang Xuewen, Han Jun and Tan Lin in 2002. The generic name refers to the town of Erlian
Erlian
The name Erlian can specify* An alternative name of a city in Inner Mongolia in China, see Erenhot.* A fictional character, see List of characters in The Chronicles of Narnia....
. The specific name is derived from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
bellus, "beautiful", and manus, "hand", in reference to the exquisite preservation of the forelimb.
The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, LH V0002, was uncovered in the Iren Dabasu Formation
Iren Dabasu Formation
The Iren Dabasu Formation is a Mesozoic geologic formation. Dinosaur remains diagnostic to the genus level are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-Ornithischians:-Saurischians:-References:...
dating from the late Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
or early Maastrichtian
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...
stage
Faunal stage
In chronostratigraphy, a stage is a succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic timescale, which usually represents millions of years of deposition. A given stage of rock and the corresponding age of time will by convention have the same name, and the same boundaries.Rock...
, around 72-68 million years ago. It consists of a partial skeleton, lacking the skull, of a subadult individual. It includes five vertebrae of the neck, back and tail; a right scapula; a left forelimb lacking the carpus
Carpus
In tetrapods, the carpus is the sole cluster of bones in the wrist between the radius and ulna and the metacarpus. The bones of the carpus do not belong to individual fingers , whereas those of the metacarpus do. The corresponding part of the foot is the tarsus...
; parts of the pelvis; a right femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
; both tibia
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
e, a right fibula and elements of the metatarsus
Metatarsus
The metatarsus or metatarsal bones are a group of five long bones in the foot located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes. Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are numbered from the medial side : the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth...
.
The type specimen represents a subadult about two-and-a-half metre long. In 2010 Gregory S. Paul
Gregory S. Paul
Gregory Scott Paul is a freelance researcher, author and illustrator who works in paleontology, and more recently has examined sociology and theology. He is best known for his work and research on theropod dinosaurs and his detailed illustrations, both live and skeletal...
estimated the adult length at four metres, the weight at four hundred kilogrammes. The thigh bone is 412 millimetres long.
Erliansaurus was a bipedal herbivore. For a therizinosauroid, its neck was rather short. The tibia was relatively long. Its fibula had an uncommon form, with a very high front edge and a concave top. Its hands bore enormous, strongly recurved and pointed, claws of which the thumb claw was the largest.
Erliansaurus was by the describers assigned to the Therizinosauroidea, in a basal position and likely not a therizinosaurid. Some early cladistic analyses however, have recovered it as a basal member of the Therizinosauridae
Therizinosauridae
Therizinosauridae is a family of advanced herbivorous or omnivorous theropod dinosaurs. Therizinosaurid fossil remains have been recovered from mid-late Cretaceous Period deposits from Mongolia, China, and the United States.-Classification:...
. Recent cladistic analyses have recovered it as a therizinosauroid.