Tugulusaurus
Encyclopedia
Tugulusaurus is a genus
of theropod dinosaur
from early Cretaceous
Tugulu Group
in the Urhe area of the People's Republic of China
.
From 1964 dinosaur fossils were excavated in the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang
. In 1973 a number of these were described by paleontologist Dong Zhiming
, among them the bones of a small theropod which he named Tugulusaurus faciles. The generic name refers to the Tugulu Group. The specific name is derived from Latin
facilis, here with the meaning of "easily moving", referring to the agility of the animal as indicated by its "delicate bones".
The holotype
, IVPP V4025, was found in layers of the Lianmuqin Formation dating from the ?Valanginian
–Albian
. It consists of a partial skeleton including four partial tail vertebrae, much of the left leg and part of the right, the first fingers of both hands, and a rib. The femur
has a length of about 215 millimetres (8.5 in). The left first metacarpal is very short: 26 millimetres (1 in). The skeleton represents the only remains of the species that have ever been discovered.
Originally classified by Dong as a member of the Ornithomimidae within the Coelurosauria
, it was often considered a nomen dubium
. However, in 2005 Oliver Rauhut and Xu Xing concluded that it is a valid genus of basal
coelurosaurian of unknown affinities.
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 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 early 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...
Tugulu Group
Tugulu Group
The Tugulu Group is a geological formation in Xinjiang, China whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-Dinosaurs:-Pterosaurs:-Crurotarsans:-References:...
in the Urhe area of the People's Republic of 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...
.
From 1964 dinosaur fossils were excavated in the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
. In 1973 a number of these were described by paleontologist Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming , from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, is one of China's leading paleontologists. He began working at the IVPP in 1962, learning from Yang Zhongjian who was director at the time...
, among them the bones of a small theropod which he named Tugulusaurus faciles. The generic name refers to the Tugulu Group. 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...
facilis, here with the meaning of "easily moving", referring to the agility of the animal as indicated by its "delicate bones".
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...
, IVPP V4025, was found in layers of the Lianmuqin Formation dating from the ?Valanginian
Valanginian
In the geologic timescale, the Valanginian is an age or stage of the Early or Lower Cretaceous. It spans between 140.2 ± 3.0 Ma and 136.4 ± 2.0 Ma...
–Albian
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
. It consists of a partial skeleton including four partial tail vertebrae, much of the left leg and part of the right, the first fingers of both hands, and a rib. The 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...
has a length of about 215 millimetres (8.5 in). The left first metacarpal is very short: 26 millimetres (1 in). The skeleton represents the only remains of the species that have ever been discovered.
Originally classified by Dong as a member of the Ornithomimidae within the Coelurosauria
Coelurosauria
Coelurosauria is the clade containing all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds than to carnosaurs. In the past, it was used to refer to all small theropods, although this classification has been abolished...
, it was often considered a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
. However, in 2005 Oliver Rauhut and Xu Xing concluded that it is a valid genus of basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
coelurosaurian of unknown affinities.