| Asiatyrannus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
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| An artist's illustration (Joschua Knüppe) of Asiatyrannus xui | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Tyrannosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Tyrannosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Asiatyrannus Zheng, 2024 |
| Species: | †A. xui |
| Binomial name | |
| Asiatyrannus xui Zheng, 2024 | |
Asiatyrannus (meaning "Asia tyrant") is a genus of extinct tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in Late Cretaceous China. The type and only species is Asiatyrannus xui. This genus is the southernmost found tyrannosaurid in Asia, and one of the smallest of the family.
Discovery and Naming[]
The holotype specimen (ZMNH M30360) was discovered in Nanxiong Formation near a town in China. In 2024, Zheng described Asiatyrannus as a new species. The name "Asiatyrannus" combines the words "Asia" with "tyrannus" to mean "Asian Tyrant", while the specific name is named after the paleontologist Xing Xu and his contributions.
Description[]
The holotype (ZMNH M30360) consists of most of fragmented skull and separate parts of postcrania. It is a small-medium tyrannosaur with an estimated measuring of 3.5-4 metres. It is closely related with Nanuqsaurus. It can be distinguished from other tyrannosaurids such as the unique jaw shape.
Classification[]
It is classified as a member of the family Tyrannosauridae under the subfamily Tyrannosaurinae, as one of the smallest recognized member in the family. The closest taxon to this genus is the Alaskan Nanuqsaurus.
Paleobiology[]
The periosteal cortex exhibits a minimum of 13 lines, and the narrow outer zone indicates that it is a subadult, but had grown in rapid stages.
Paleoecology[]
Asiatyrannus, living in the Nanxiong Formation, co-existed with animals like Corythoraptor, Qianzhousaurus, Jiangxititan, and other fauna.
Gallery[]
