Abrosaurus (/ˌæbroʊˈsɔːrəs/; 'delicate lizard' from the Greek αβρος meaning 'delicate' or 'dainty' and σαυρος meaning 'lizard') is a genus of macronarian sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Period of what is now Asia, one of many dinosaurs found at the Dashanpu Quarry in the Sichuan Province of China.[1] Like most sauropods, Abrosaurus was a quadrupedal herbivore but it was rather small for a sauropod, not much more than 30 feet (9.1 m) long. Its head was boxy and topped with a tall bony arch containing the nostrils.
| Abrosaurus Temporal range: Middle Jurassic
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| Illustration of the skull showing known remains in gray. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Genus: | †Abrosaurus Ouyang, 1989 |
| Type species | |
| †Abrosaurus dongpoi Ouyang, 1989
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The generic name (meaning "delicate lizard") refers to the nature of the skull, with large openings separated by thin bony struts. The only named species is A. dongpoi, is named after eleventh-century Chinese poet Su Shi, also known as Su Dongpo, who was born in Sichuan.
Discovery and naming
editThe naming of Abrosaurus has been a long and convoluted process. Abrosaurus was discovered in 1984 and was first described in the 1986 Ph.D. thesis of Chinese paleontologist Ouyang Hui, with the specific name "A. gigantorhinus."[1] However, the publication does not meet ICZN standards so "Abrosaurus gigantorhinus" is considered a nomen nudum although it has been used incorrectly in at least one paper.[2] Ouyang formally described this species in 1989 under the specific epithet A. dongpoensis. However, in biological nomenclature, the Latin suffix -ensis is used only to honor localities and the name has since been revised to include the more correct -i suffix, used to honor male individuals.[3] Abrosaurus dongpoi is now the accepted name for this taxon.
The holotype, or original specimen, of Abrosaurus, ZDM 5038, is a fossil skull which is nearly complete and very well preserved. A fragmentary skull and a skeleton have also been referred to this taxon but published description is lacking.[2] All of the material comes from the famous Dashanpu Quarry near Zigong in China, and is housed in the dinosaur museum there. Abrosaurus and at least 4 other species of sauropod are known from the Lower Shaximiao Formation (also called Xiashaximiao) at Dashanpu. These sediments are dated from the Bathonian to Callovian stages of the Middle Jurassic Period, or about 168 to 161 million years ago.
Classification
editAbrosaurus was originally described as a camarasaurid sauropod, and while it may not turn out to be a member of that particular family, further research has indicated that it is a basal member of Macronaria, much like Camarasaurus itself. However, the remains of Abrosaurus have not been fully described, making its exact placement in the sauropod family tree difficult to determine.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Hui, O. (1989). "A new sauropod from Dashanpu, Zigong Co. Sichuan Province (Abrosaurus dongpoensis gen. et sp. nov.)" (PDF). Zigong Dinosaur Museum Newsletter. 2: 10–14.
- ^ a b Zhang, Y.; Chen, W. (1996). "Preliminary research on the classification of sauropods from the Sichuan Basin, China". The Continental Jurassic. Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin. 60: 97–107.
- ^ Peng, S.; Shu, C. (1999). "Vertebrate Assemblage of the Lower Shaximiao Formation of Sichuan Basin, China". Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Beijing: China Ocean Press: 27–35.
- ^ Upchurch, P.; Barrett, P.M.; Dodson, P. (2004). "Sauropoda". In Dodson, P.; Osmólska, H.; Weishampel, D.B. (eds.). The Dinosauria (2nd ed.). Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 259–322. ISBN 9780520941434. OCLC 801843269.