| Datanglong | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Neotheropoda |
| Clade: | Averostra |
| Clade: | Tetanurae |
| Clade: | Orionides |
| Genus: | †Datanglong |
| Type species | |
| †Datanglong guangxiensis Moet al., 2014 | |
Datanglong is an extinctgenus oftetanurantheropod of uncertain taxonomic placement. It existed during theEarly Cretaceous (Barremian-Albian) in what is now southeastern China.[1]
In 2011, staff of the Geological Survey Research Institute at the village ofNazao, twenty kilometers southwest of the town ofDatang, near Nanning inGuangxi, discovered the remains of a large theropod new to science. The dinosaur was named and described in 2014 asDatanglong guangxiensis, byMo Jinyou,Zhou Fusheng,Li Guangning,Hunag Zhen andCao Chenyun. The genus name combines a reference to the Datang basin with the Chinese wordlong, "dragon". Thespecific name refers to the province of Guangxi.[1]
Datanglong guangxiensis is known from one specimen,holotypeGMG 00001, which encompassesvertebrae andhip bones. There is a series of vertebrae that begins with the last dorsal (back) vertebra (according to the descriptors the fourteenth), continues over the fivesacral vertebrae, and ends with the second tail vertebra. The sacrum is attached to a leftilium with the upper parts of the leftpubic bone and the leftischium, and one piece of the right ilium. The bones were found in a layer of theXinlong Formation, which was deposited sometime during theEarly Cretaceous.[1]
Datanglong is a large predatory theropod with a length of roughly 8 to 9 metres (26 to 30 ft). The specimen has a preserved length of about 0.7 metres (2.3 ft).[1]
The describing authors determined some distinguishing characteristics. The last dorsal vertebra has a pleurocoel, or pneumatic cavity, that is bounded by an enlarged posterior ridge between thediapophysis and the vertebral body, by the posterior ridge between theparapophysis and the vertebral body; and by the vertebral body itself. The rear dorsal vertebra has a well-developed horizontal ridge between theprezygapophysis and the parapophysis. The last dorsal vertebra has a parapophysis that protrudes more laterally than the diapophysis. The groove in the underside of the rear blade of the ilium, serving as an attachment to themusculus caudofemoralis brevis, is shallow and the "brevis shelf", the inner surface of the medial blade wall uncovered by it, is short and shaped like a ridge. The pubic peduncle of the ilium, to which the pubic bone is attached, at the rear side transversely expands to below.[1]
The last dorsal vertebra resembles those of theCeratosauria in that theparapophysis, the lower rib joint process, extends beyond thediapophysis, the upper rib joint process. The vertebra is also clearly pneumatised but the succeeding sacral vertebrae of the sacrum are not. The first tail vertebra has a depression at the level of the probable ridge between theprezygapophysis and theparapophysis. This vertebra also has a straightchevron. Thespinous processes of the tail vertebrae are broken but the remaining pieces are fairly long and expand upwards.
The upper profile of the ilium is unknown, due to damage. The front blade has a deeply drooping point with a rounded front edge. The vertical ridge in front of the hip joint does not form a medial shelf. The blade of the ilium is pierced by several pneumatic cavities. The pubic peduncle of the ilium is widely excavated at the rear and has a rectangular bottom surface, twice longer than wide. The ischial peduncle inserts into an upper cavity of the ischium like a pin.[1]
The describing authors placedDatanglong in theCarcharodontosauria, in abasal position, making use of a previouscladistic analysis ofMatthew Carrano.[1] Soon after the publication, the Italian paleontologistAndrea Cau pointed out that this analysis had been strongly focused on the basal Tetanurae and therefore contained few traits of theCoelurosauria. That carried the danger that basal coelurosaurians were misplaced. Cau entered the traits ofDatanglong into his own, more comprehensive, analysis and this indeed revealed thatDatanglong was a basal coelurosaur. If this is correct, it would be the first known basal coelurosaur of a truly large size. He also directed attention to the fact that allsynapomorphies thatDatanglong shared with the Carcharodontosauria (the pneumatized cavities in the ilium and the pin-and-socket connection between the ilium and the ischium) were also shared with theMegaraptora.[2] In 2017, Adun Samathi and Phorphen Chanthasit reported in an SVP abstract that they foundDatanglong to nest in Megaraptora, "sharing the pneumaticity of the ilium with other megaraptorans."[3] In 2024, Samathi and colleagues recoveredDatanglong in this position once again, identifying nine characters to support its placement within Coelurosauria and also Megaraptora.[4] In 2025, Kellermann, Cuesta & Rauhut consistently recovered Datanglong as an indeterminate Carcharodontosaurid in all their analyses.[5]
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