| Abrosaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration of the skull showing known remains in gray. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | †Sauropodomorpha |
| Clade: | †Sauropoda |
| Clade: | †Macronaria |
| Genus: | †Abrosaurus Ouyang, 1989 |
| Type species | |
| †Abrosaurus dongpoi Ouyang, 1989 | |
Abrosaurus (/ˌæbroʊˈsɔːrəs/; 'delicate lizard' from theGreekαβρος meaning 'delicate' or 'dainty' andσαυρος meaning 'lizard') is agenus ofmacronariansauropoddinosaur from theMiddle JurassicPeriod of what is nowAsia. It is one of many dinosaurs found at the Dashanpu Quarry in theSichuan Province ofChina.[1] Like most sauropods,Abrosaurus was aquadrupedalherbivore. It was rather small for a sauropod, measuring no more than 9.1 metres (30 ft) long. Its head was boxy and topped with a tall, bony arch containing the nostrils. The generic name refers to the nature of theskull, with large openings separated by thin, bony struts. The only namedspecies isA. dongpoi, named after eleventh-century ChinesepoetSu Shi, also known as Su Dongpo, who was born in Sichuan.
The naming ofAbrosaurus has been a long and convoluted process.Abrosaurus was discovered in 1984 and was first described in the 1986Ph.D. thesis of ChinesepaleontologistOuyang Hui, with the specific name "A. gigantorhinus."[1] However, the publication does not meetICZN standards, so "Abrosaurus gigantorhinus" is considered anomen nudum. Despite this, it has been used incorrectly in at least one paper.[2] Ouyang formally described this species in 1989 under the specific epithetA. dongpoensis. However, inbiological nomenclature, theLatin 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.
Theholotype, or original specimen, ofAbrosaurus,ZDM 5038, is afossil 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 nearZigong in China and is housed in the dinosaur museum there.Abrosaurus and at least 4 other species of sauropod are known from theLower Shaximiao Formation (also calledXiashaximiao) at Dashanpu. These sediments are dated from theBathonian toCallovian stages of the MiddleJurassic Period, or about 168 to 161million years ago.
Abrosaurus was originally described as acamarasaurid sauropod, and while it may not turn out to be a member of that particular family, further research has indicated that it is abasal member of Macronaria, much likeCamarasaurus itself. However, the remains ofAbrosaurus have not been fully described, making its exact placement in the sauropod family tree difficult to determine.[4]
