Jaxartosaurus
Encyclopedia
Jaxartosaurus is a genus
of hadrosaurid dinosaur
similar to Corythosaurus
which lived during the Late Cretaceous
. Its fossils were found in Kazakhstan
and China
. It had a large, helmet-like crest that it may have used for visual identification, or to vocalize with members of the same herd.
The type species
, J. aralensis, was first described by Anatoly Nikolaenvich Riabinin in 1937. A second species, J. fuyunensis, was described by Weishampel and Horner in 1990, but is dubious
.
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 hadrosaurid 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...
similar to Corythosaurus
Corythosaurus
Corythosaurus is a genus of duck-billed dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period, about 77-76.5 million years ago. It lived in what is now North America...
which lived during 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...
. Its fossils were found in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It had a large, helmet-like crest that it may have used for visual identification, or to vocalize with members of the same herd.
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...
, J. aralensis, was first described by Anatoly Nikolaenvich Riabinin in 1937. A second species, J. fuyunensis, was described by Weishampel and Horner in 1990, but is dubious
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
.