Jiutaisaurus
Extinct genus of dinosaurs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jiutaisaurus (meaning "Jiutai lizard") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Quantou Formation of Jilin, China. The formation dates from the Early - Late Cretaceous boundary. The type species, Jiutaisaurus xidiensis, was described by Wu et al. in 2006, and is based on eighteen vertebrae. It probably lived alongside Changchunsaurus and Helioceratops.
| Jiutaisaurus Temporal range: Early-Late Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Clade: | †Titanosauriformes |
| Genus: | †Jiutaisaurus Wu et al., 2006 |
| Type species | |
| †Jiutaisaurus xidiensis Wu et al., 2006 | |
Discovery and naming
In September 2003, a team from Jilin University conducted a fossil excavation in Xidi Village, Jiutai, and recovered 18 caudal vertebrae from a sauropod, as well as some other fossils. In March 2006, Wu Wenhao, Dong Zhiming, Sun Yuewu, Li Chuntian, and Li Tao described the vertebrae as a new genus and species, Jiutaisaurus xidiensis (Chinese: 西地九台龙; pinyin: Xīdì Jiǔtáilóng), named for the discovery site.[1]
Fossil record
Jiutaisaurus xidiensis is known only from the holotype specimen, CAD-02, which was recovered from the Cretaceous-aged Quantou Formation. The specimen consists of 18 articulated caudal vertebrae, hypothesized to represent the 11th to 28th vertebrae of the caudal series, and 13 haemal arches.[1]
Classification
In their original description, Wu and colleagues tentatively classified Jiutaisaurus as a titanosaur, also noting similarities to Huabeisauridae and Brachiosauridae.[1] Subsequent authors have considered it to be an indeterminate titanosauriform.[2] Wilson and Upchurch, in 2009, considered it a nomen dubium.[3]
