Xixiposaurus Explained

Xixiposaurus (meaning "Xixipo lizard") is a genus of "prosauropod" dinosaur which existed in what is now Lower Lufeng Formation, China during the lower Jurassic period.[1] It was first named by Sekiya Toru in 2010 and the type species is X. suni.[1]

Etymology

The generic name, Xixiposaurus, refers to the village of Xixipo in Lufeng County, Yunnan, China, where the holotype, a partial skeleton with skull named ZLJ01018, was discovered. The specific name, suni, refers to Professor Sun Ge of Jilin University.

Classification

Sekiya (2010)'s phylogenetic analysis places Xixiposaurus as a derived member of a monophyletic Prosauropoda, a hypothesis that is currently unaccepted. It is placed as the sister taxon to Mussaurus in a family Plateosauridae, which also included Riojasaurus, Coloradisaurus, and "Gyposaurus" sinensis.

Notes and References

  1. SEKIYA Toru . 2010 . A new prosauropod dinosaur from Lower Jurassic in Lufeng of Yunnan . Global Geology . 29 . 1 . 6–15 . 10.3969/j.issn.1004-5589.2010.01.002 .