| Gyposaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| "G".sinensis fossil on display at theGeological Museum of China | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Plateosauria |
| Genus: | †Gyposaurus Broom, 1911 |
| Type species | |
| †Gyposaurus capensis Broom, 1911 | |
| Other species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Gyposaurus (meaning "vulturelizard", referring to the outdatedhypothesis thatprosauropods werecarnivores) is agenus of basalsauropodomorphdinosaur from the earlyJurassic ofSouth Africa. It is usually considered to represent juveniles of otherprosauropods, but"G." sinensis is regarded as a possibly valid species.[1]
G. capensis was named in 1911 byScottishphysician andpaleontologistRobert Broom from a partial skeleton consisting of elevendorsal and sixcaudalvertebrae,ribs,gastralia, partial rightscapula, rightpelvic girdle, leftilium, and most of the right leg, discovered in theUpper Elliot Formation ofOrange Free State,South Africa.[2] Originally, he thought the specimen belonged to the dubious genusHortalotarsus.[2]Galton and Cluver placed it in the genusAnchisaurus in 1976,[3] but Michael Cooper synonymized it withMassospondylus in 1981,[4] which has been generally accepted.
"G." sinensis was named byYang Zhongjian (C.C. Young) in 1941 for four specimens including jaw fragments and postcranial material from theEarly JurassicLufeng Formation ofYunnan Province,China.[5] In 1976, Galton referred it toLufengosaurus,[6] whileDong Zhiming referred it toAnchisaurus in 1992.[7] Galton and Upchurch (2004) considered it to be a valid, distinct taxon in need of a new generic name.[1] Barrettet al. (2007) proposed the name "Gripposaurus" for this species, but it is anomen nudum.[8] Unpublished results of a presentation by Wang and colleagues at the SVP 2017 conference indicate that"G." sinensis is a junior synonym ofLufengosaurus huenei; however, some referred specimens need further study to determine their relationships.[9] Wang, Zhao & You (2024) agreed with this assessment.[10]
