Sinocoelurus
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Sinocoelurus fragilis Yang Zhongjian, 1942 |
Sinocoelurus (meaning "Chinese hollow tail", in reference to location and to relate the new genus to the North American Coelurus) was a genus of theropod dinosaur from the ?Tithonian-age Upper Jurassic Kyangyan Series of Sichuan, China. It is an obscure tooth taxon.
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[edit] History
Famous Chinese paleontologist Yang Zhongjian (in other references his name is given as C. C. Young) named this genus from IVP AS V232-234, a group of four isolated partial teeth found near Weiyuan, Guangyuan, Sichuan Basin. He described them as "long, slender, moderately curved and compressed; ridged anterior and posterior sides with no trace of serrations; enamel very thin (Yang, 1942, after[1]). He considered the genus to be "coelurosaurian", which at that time meant a small theropod. The most distinctive characteristic of these teeth was their lack of serrations.[2]
Because of the small amount of material, Sinocoelurus has attracted little attention since its description, outside of reviews. It is usually considered a dubious name of either coelurosaurian\coelurid affinities (if the source predates the acceptance of Coelurosauria as a wastebasket taxon as traditionally used), or uncertain theropod affinities (if published after this). The most recent review classifies it as Tetanurae incertae sedis and dubious.[3]
[edit] Paleobiology
As a small theropod, Sinocoelurus would have been an agile, bipedal carnivore.
[edit] Miscellany
Due to romanization variations, the location may be given as Kuangyuan, Szechuan Basin.
The unserrated teeth have led at least one Internet source to compare the genus to spinosaurids. As this was self-acknowledged unfounded speculation, the originator retracted it.
[edit] References
- ^ Glut, D.F. (1997). "Sinocoelurus", Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company, 825. ISBN 0-89950-917-7.
- ^ Yang Zhongjian. (1942). Fossil vertebrates from Kuangyuan, N. Szechuan, China. Bulletin of the Geological Society of China 22(3-4):293-309.
- ^ Holtz, Jr., T.R., Molnar, R.E, and Currie, P.J. (2004). "Basal Tetanurae", The Dinosauria (second edition). University of California Press, 71-110. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
