[dinosaur] Xingxiulong (Early Jurassic Sauropodomorpha) Cranium and Vertebral Column

Ben Creisler
[email protected]

A new paper:


Ya‐Ming Wang,  Tao Wang,  Zhi‐Wen Yang  &  Hai‐Lu You (2019)
Cranium and Vertebral Column of Xingxiulong chengi (Dinosauria:
Sauropodomorpha) from the Early Jurassic of China.
The Anatomical Record  (advance online publication)
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1002_ar.24305&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=8M4TR4Ib0X6G9eC19gnmG9CCD9HWWbuV7UHMHI7F12o&s=uuyGRwsbNRmg4ICc-_watGYVg0vrE8o-xaRKiCx184E&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com_doi_10.1002_ar.24305&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=8M4TR4Ib0X6G9eC19gnmG9CCD9HWWbuV7UHMHI7F12o&s=pIJcxnPV00WLmTY2Jk4WjK6e5VGBEExGOncXk7Wffnw&e= 



The Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation in Yunnan Province of southwestern
China provides one of the most abundant records of sauropodomorphs in the
world. However, most of them have not been fully described. Xingxiulong
chengi is among the most complete non‐sauropodan sauropodomorphs ever
discovered from Lufeng Formation and is represented by three partial
skeletons. Here, we provide a detailed osteological description of its
axial skeleton, including both the cranial and postcranial elements, and
compare its anatomy with that of other known non‐sauropodan
sauropodomorphs. In general, the cranium of Xingxiulong is more similar to
those of more basal sauropodomorphs than to sauropodiforms, as evidenced by
features such as an only slightly concave dorsal margin of the postorbital,
a caudally placed rostral margin of the infratemporal fenestra not
extending below the orbit, and long and slender basipterygoid processes
divergent from each other at an angle of approximately 80 degrees. However,
its postcranial axial skeleton possesses some unique or relatively derived
features among basal sauropodomorphs, such as four sacral vertebrae and
caudal dorsal vertebrae with laterally expanded neural spine tables. This
provides future workers with a reassessment of non‐sauropodan
sauropodomorphs through the lens of Xingxiulong chengi, which will serve to
increase our knowledge on the anatomy, phylogeny, and furthermore,
evolution of sauropodomorph dinosaurs.