Zhuchengtyrannus
| Zhuchengtyrannus Temporal range:Campanian
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| Reconstructed skeleton, with missing bones cast fromTyrannosaurus | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Tyrannosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Tyrannosaurinae |
| Clade: | †Tyrannosaurini |
| Genus: | †Zhuchengtyrannus Honeet al.,2011 |
| Type species | |
| †Zhuchengtyrannus magnus Honeet al.,2011
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| Synonyms | |
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Zhuchengtyrannus(meaning "Zhuchengtyrant ") is agenusoftyrannosauridtheropoddinosaurknown from theCampanianstage of theLate CretaceousofShandong Province,China.It belongs to thesubfamilyTyrannosaurinae, and contains a single species,Zhuchengtyrannus magnus.
Discovery and naming
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Zhuchengtyrannuswas first described and named by David W. E. Hone, Kebai Wang, Corwin Sullivan, Xijin Zhao, Shuqing Chen, Dunjin Li, Shuan Ji, Qiang Ji and Xing Xu in2011and thetype speciesisZhuchengtyrannus magnus.The generic name is derived from the wordZhucheng,which refers to the type locality, andtyrantin reference to its phylogenetic position as a tyrannosaurid. Thespecific namemagnusmeaning "great" inLatinrefers to the relatively large size ofZhuchengtyrannus.[1]
Zhuchengtyrannusis known solely from theholotypeZCDM V0031, a nearly complete rightmaxillaand associated leftdentary(lower jaw, both with teeth) discovered around 2010 with theSinankylosaurusholotype,[2]and is currently housed at theZhucheng Dinosaur Museum.Casts of the holotype, IVPP FV 1794, are held at theInstitute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.ZCDM V0031 was collected in the Hongtuya Formation[3]from theWangshi Groupat Zangjiazhuang quarry,ZhuchengCity, dating to theCampanianstage, at least 73.5 million years ago. A second tyrannosaurid dentary (ZCDM V0030) and maxilla (ZCDM V0032) have also been collected at Zangjiazhuang quarry. Even though they were not associated with one another, both specimens are different from other tyrannosaurids, includingZhuchengtyrannus,implying the existence of at least one additional tyrannosaurid from the quarry. Apart from the tyrannosaurid material, specimens ofSinoceratops,hadrosaurids(probablyShantungosaurus) andankylosaurssuch asSinankylosauruswere recovered from it.[1]Zhuchengtyrannuswas found in an area that was a floodplain in the Cretaceous period and contains one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur bones in the world.[4]
Description
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Zhuchengtyrannuswas a large carnivorous theropod, and the holotype has been estimated to have been "similar in size and gross morphology toTarbosaurus",[1]which is about 11 metres (36 ft) in body length and 5 metric tons (5.5 short tons) in body mass.[5][6][7]The holotype dentary was significantly smaller than the corresponding bones of one of the largestTyrannosaurusspecimens ("Sue").[8]
Zhuchengtyrannuscan be distinguished from all other tyrannosaurines by a singleautapomorphy,the presence of a horizontal shelf on the lateral surface of the base of the ascending process of themaxilla,and a rounded notch in the anterior margin of the maxillaryfenestra.Zhuchengtyrannusalso possesses a ventral margin of the antorbital fenestra that lies well above that of the ventral rim of the antorbital fossa. Additionally, the total length of the maxillary fenestra is more than half the distance between the anterior margins of the antorbital fossa and fenestra. Unlike the contemporaneousTarbosaurus,Zhuchengtyrannuslacks a subcutaneous flange on the posterodorsal part of thejugalramus of the maxilla, and a ventrally convex palatal shelf that covers the bulges of the roots of the rear teeth in medial view.[1]
Classification
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It is possible that several isolated teeth from one of the Zhucheng dinosaur quarries, previously given the nameTyrannosaurus zhuchengensis,belong to this or a related species. TheT. zhuchengensisteeth are characterized by serrations that extend all the way to the base of the tooth crown, a feature not seen in any other tyrannosaurine species. All known teeth ofZhuchengtyrannusare too poorly preserved in this area to compare withT. zhuchengensis,but further finds may clarify their relationship.[1]
Aphylogeneticanalysis published with the description of the tyrannosaurineLythronaxin the journalPLOS Oneby Loewen et al. 2013, recoveredZhuchengtyrannusas thesister taxonofTarbosaurus.It also suggests thatZhuchengtyrannusand other currently known Asian tyrannosaurids were part of an evolutionary radiation descending from the same North American stem that later gave rise toTyrannosaurus,recovered as their closest known relative. Below are the results obtained in their phylogenetic analysis:[9]
| Tyrannosauridae |
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More recent study by Voris et al in 2020 recoveredZuchengtyrannusas the sister taxon to a clade containing theMaastrichtiangeneraTyrannosaurusandTarbosaurus,[10]see this phylogeny below.
See also
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References
[edit]- ^abcdeHone, D. W. E.; Wang, K.; Sullivan, C.; Zhao, X.; Chen, S.; Li, D.; Ji, S.; Ji, Q.; Xu, X. (2011). "A new, large tyrannosaurine theropod from the Upper Cretaceous of China".Cretaceous Research.32(4): 495–503.Bibcode:2011CrRes..32..495H.doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2011.03.005.
- ^"Shandong discovers new dinosaur with spikes!".yqqlm. 20 August 2020.Retrieved21 August2020.
- ^"PBDB".paleobiodb.org.Retrieved13 December2022.
- ^"New dino in same league as T. rex".The Sydney Morning Herald.1 April 2011.Retrieved3 April2011.
- ^Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2012).Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages(PDF).
Winter 2011 Appendix
- ^Molina-Pérez & Larramendi (2016).Récords y curiosidades de los dinosaurios Terópodos y otros dinosauromorfos.Barcelona, Spain: Larousse. p. 267.ISBN9780565094973.
- ^Campione, Nicolás E.; Evans, David C. (2020)."The accuracy and precision of body mass estimation in non-avian dinosaurs".Biological Reviews.95(6): 1759–1797.doi:10.1111/brv.12638.ISSN1469-185X.PMID32869488.S2CID221404013.
- ^Hone D (3 April 2011)."So just how big wasZhuchengtyrannus?".archosaurmusings.wordpress.
- ^Loewen, M. A.;Irmis, R. B.;Sertich, J. J. W.;Currie, P. J.;Sampson, S. D.(2013).Evans, D. C.(ed.)."Tyrant Dinosaur Evolution Tracks the Rise and Fall of Late Cretaceous Oceans".PLOS ONE.8(11): e79420.Bibcode:2013PLoSO...879420L.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0079420.PMC3819173.PMID24223179.
- ^Voris, Jared T.; Therrien, Francois; Zelenitzky, Darla K.; Brown, Caleb M. (2020)."A new tyrannosaurine (Theropoda:Tyrannosauridae) from the Campanian Foremost Formation of Alberta, Canada, provides insight into the evolution and biogeography of tyrannosaurids".Cretaceous Research.110:104388.Bibcode:2020CrRes.11004388V.doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104388.S2CID213838772.
