Dianchungosaurus (meaning "Central Yunnan lizard") is an extinct genus of mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorph from the Early Jurassic of China. It was previously considered a dinosaur, but it was recently reclassified as a mesoeucrocodylian by Paul Barrett and Xing Xu (2005). It is probably the same animal as the informally named "Tianchungosaurus". The type species is D. lufengensis and it was described in 1982. A second species, D. elegans, was named in 1986, but it has since become a synonym of the type species.
Material[]
Two specimens of Dianchungosaurus have currently been discovered:
- IVPP V4735a (holotype)
- IVPP V4735b (paratype)
Specimen IVPP V4735a contained of an isolated premaxilla, while the paratype(IVPP V4735b), contained cojoined partial left and right dentaries with teeth and left splenial. IVPP V4735b was later said to contain the remains of a plateosaurian(Prosauropod). Due to the lack of material the size of this creature is currently unknown.
Systematics[]
In 1982, when the creature was discovered, it was first assigned to the family heterodontosauridae. Some regarded it being a nomen dubium though its validity was confirmed.
In 2005, paleontologists Paul Barrett and Xu Xing classified it as a mesoeucrocodylian, and said the paratype specimen was actually plateosaurian remains.
Gallery[]
