Crichtonsaurus: Difference between revisions

'''''Crichtonsaurus''''' (meaning "Crichton's lizard") is a dubious [[genus]] of herbivorous [[ankylosaurid]] [[ankylosaurdinosaur]] that lived during the [[dinosaurLate Cretaceous]] in what is now [[China]]. It was named forafter [[Michael Crichton]], the author of the dinosaur novel ''[[Jurassic Park (novel)|Jurassic Park]]''. ItA wassister antaxon [[Ankylosaurinae|ankylosaurine]]was discovered, and''C. itbenxiensis'', livedwhich duringis thenow lateidentified [[Cretaceous]]as Perioda ofseparate [[China]]genus.

==TaxonomyHistory==

The first fossils of the genus were discovered in 1999 atin the [[Sunjiawan Formation]] of [[Xiafuxiang]], near [[Beipiao]] in [[Liaoning Province]], China. It was named and described by [[Dong Zhiming]] of the [[Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology]] of the [[Chinese Academy of Sciences]] in 2002. The [[type species]] is ''Crichtonsaurus bohlini''. The generic name is in honor of [[Michael Crichton]], American author whose novels include ''[[Jurassic Park (novel)|Jurassic Park]]'', ''[[The Andromeda Strain]]'' and others. The [[specific name (zoology)|specific name]] honours [[Birger Bohlin]], a Swedish paleontologist who during the 1930s took part in several paleontological expeditions to China. He described numerous Chinese ankylosaurs. As well as his work on dinosaurs and prehistoric [[mammals]], Bohlin was part of the group that established the existence of [[Peking Man]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rukang |first1=Wu |last2=Shenglong |first2=Lin |title=Peking Man |journal=Scientific American |date=June 1983 |volume=248 |issue=6 |pages=86–95 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0683-86 |jstor=24968922 |bibcode=1983SciAm.248f..86R |url=http://www.michaelcrichtonjstor.comorg/foryoungerreaders-crichtonsaurus.htmlstable/24968922}}</ref>

The [[holotype]], '''IVPP V12745''', was found in a layer of the [[Sunjiawan Formation]] dating from the [[Cenomanian]]-[[Turonian]]. It consists of a left lower jaw with three preserved teeth. Additionally, two specimens have been referred: IVPP V12746, consisting of two neck vertebrae and a back vertebra; and LPM 101, a partial postcranial skeleton including four sacral vertebrae, seven tail vertebrae. a shoulder blade, a coracoid, a humerus, a thighbone, foot bones, a cervical halfring and osteoderms.<ref name="Dong">Z.-M.{{cite journal |last1=Dong, 2002,|first1=Zhi-Ming "|title=A new armored dinosaur (Ankylosauria) from Beipiao Basin, Liaoning Province, northeastern China", ''|journal=Vertebrata PalAsiatica'' '''|date=2002 |volume=40'''( |issue=4): 276-285|pages=276–285}}</ref> In 2014, [[Victoria Megan Arbour]] pointed out that the referral of the additional specimens could not be justified because of a lack of overlapping material. She also failed to find any unique traits in the holotype itself, concluding that ''Crichtonsaurus bohlini'' was a ''[[nomen dubium]]''.<ref name="Arbour2014">Arbour, Victoria Megan, 2014, ''Systematics, evolution, and biogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs''. Ph.D thesis, University of Alberta</ref>

A second species, ''Crichtonsaurus benxiensis'', was named by [[Lü Junchang]], Ji Qiang, Gao Yubo and Li Zhixin in 2007. The specific name refers to the [[Benxi Geological Museum]]. The holotype, '''BXGMV0012''', was discovered in the same early [[Late Cretaceous]]-age ([[Cenomanian]]-[[Turonian]]) [[Sunjiawan Formation]] of [[Beipiao]], [[Liaoning]], as the type species. It consists of a complete skull. Additionally, specimen BXGMV0012-1 has been referred, a partial skeleton lacking the skull, found at the same location.<ref name=Luetal07>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1755-6724.2007.tb01010.x |author=Lü Junchang |author2=Ji Qiang |author3=Gao Yubo |author4= Li Zhixin |year=2007 |title=A new species of the ankylosaurid dinosaur ''Crichtonsaurus'' (Ankylosauridae:Ankylosauria) from the Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China |journal=Acta Geologica Sinica (English editionEdition) |volume=81 |issue=6 |pages=883–897 |bibcode=2007AcGlS..81..883L |s2cid=140562058 }}</ref><ref>http{{cite web |title=crichtonsaurus |url=https://dmlreptilis.cmnh.orgnet/DML/2002Nov/msg00398msg00397.html |website=reptilis.net}}</ref> Also, according to Arbour, a skeleton displayed at the [[Sihetun Fossil Museum]] under the name of ''C. bohlini'', probably belongs to ''C. benxiensis''.<ref name="Arbour2014"/> Paul suggested ''C. benxiensis'' were a [[junior synonym]] of ''C. bohlini''.<ref name="Paul2010"/> However, apart from indicating ''C. bohlini'' as a dubious species to which no other species can be justifiably seen as identical, Arbour established diagnostic differences between the shoulder blades of BXGMV0012-1 and LPM 101, so two ankylosaurid taxa seem to be present in the formation. Based upon her conclusion that ''C. bohlini'' was a ''nomen dubium'', Arbour suggested a new generic name for the second species: ''[[Crichtonpelta]]'',<ref name="Arbour2014"/> for the time being an invalid ''nomen ex dissertatione''. However, in 2015, the name was validly published and it was officially separated from the dubious type species ''C. bohlini'' and placed in its own valid genus, ''[[Crichtonpelta]]''.<ref name="systematics ankylosaurid">{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/14772019.2015.1059985|title=Systematics, phylogeny and palaeobiogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs|journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology|volume=14|issue=5|pages=1|year=2015|last1=Arbour|first1=Victoria M.|last2=Currie|first2=Philip J.|s2cid=214625754}}</ref>

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