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A new oviraptorosaur (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the late cretaceous of southern China and its paleoecological implications - PubMed

  • ️Tue Jan 01 2013

A new oviraptorosaur (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the late cretaceous of southern China and its paleoecological implications

Junchang Lü et al. PLoS One. 2013.

Abstract

A new oviraptorosaur Nankangia jiangxiensis gen. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of a partial postcranial skeleton with a partial lower jaw collected from the Upper Cretaceous Nanxiong Formation of Ganzhou, in Jiangxi Province of southern China. The new taxon is diagnosed by: (1) a mandibular symphysis that is not turned down; (2) neural spines of the cranial caudal vertebrae that are wider transversely than anteroposteriorly, forming a large posterior fossa with rugose central areas; (3) a femoral neck extending at an angle of about 90 to the shaft; and (4) a ratio of femur to tibia length of 0.95. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Nankangia as basal to the oviraptorid Yulong, but more derived than Caenagnathus, which also has a mandibular symphysis that is not turned down. The coexistence of Nankangia jiangxiensis, Ganzhousaurus nankangensis, Jiangxisaurus ganzhouensis, an unnamed oviraptorid from Nanxiong Basin and Banji long suggests that they occupied distinct ecological niches. Nankangia may have been more herbivorous than carnivorous.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Map of the fossil locality, near Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, southern China.

The solid pentagon represents the fossil site.

Figure 2
Figure 2. Lower jaw of Nankangia (GMNH F10003) in right lateral (A) and ventral (B) views.

Abbreviations: d., dentary; sura., surangular. Scale bars  = 5 cm.

Figure 3
Figure 3. Vertebral column of Nankangia (GMNH F10003).

A, Dorsal vertebrae in left lateral view (partially obscured by adhered pubis); B, Sacral vertebrae in ventral view; C, Cranial caudal vertebrae in right lateral view; D, Detail of cranial-most caudal vertebra in right lateral view; E, Cranial caudal neural spine in posterior view; F, Middle and posterior caudal vertebrae in right lateral view. Abbreviations: inf f., infradiapophyseal fossa; infr f1., infradiapophyseal fossa 1; infr f2., infradiapophyseal fossa 2;, infr. prf., infraprezygapophyseal fossa; ns., neural spine; p., parapophysis; pf., posterior fossa on the neural spine; pnf., pneumatic fossa; pre., prezygapophysis; pub., pubis; trp., transverse process. Scale bars  = 1 cm in D, E; others are 5 cm.

Figure 4
Figure 4. Scapulocoracoids of Nankangia (GMNH F10003) in lateral (right scapulocoracoid) and medial (left scapulocoracoid) views.

Abbreviations: acr., acromion of the scapula; cf., coracoid foramen; cr., coracoid; hlpp., horn-like posteroventral process; lsc., left scapula; rsc., right scapula. Scale bar  = 5 cm.

Figure 5
Figure 5. Right humerus of Nankangia (GMNH F10003), in posterior (A), anterior (B), medial (C), and lateral (D) views.

Scale bar  = 5 cm.

Figure 6
Figure 6. Pelvic girdle of Nankangia (GMNH F10003).

A, Partial left pelvis (missing dorsal edge of ilium and most of pubis) in lateral view. B, Partial right pelvis (missing pubis) in lateral view. C, Pubes in left lateral view. Abbreviations: dv., dorsal vertebrae; ili., ilium; isc., ischium; pub., pubis. Scale bar  = 5 cm.

Figure 7
Figure 7. Femur, tibia, and proximal tarsals of Nankangia (GMNH F10003).

A, Left femur in posterior view; B, Right femur in posterior view; C, Close up of the distal portion of the right femur in posterior view, showing the pathological area; D, Right femur and tibia in anterior view; E, Close-up of the distal portion of the tibia, the astragalus, and the calcaneum in anterior view; F, Left femur in lateral view. Abbreviations: ap., ascending process of astragalus; cal., calcaneum; f1–f3, fossae 1–3; path., pathological areas. Scale bar  = 1 cm in C; 5 cm in other images.

Figure 8
Figure 8. Strict consensus of two most parsimonious trees obtained by PAUP, based on analysis of 20 taxa and 182 characters .

Each tree has a length of 370 and was recovered via a branch and bound search (CI = 0.58, HI = 0.42, RI = 0.69).

Figure 9
Figure 9. Comparisons of lower jaws (anterior ends) of some oviraptorosaurs.

A, Caudipteryx sp. (IVPP 12430, modified from [14]) (reversed); B, Yulong mini (HGM 41HIII-0109); C, Khaan mckennai (IGM 100/973, modified from [12]); D, Nemegtomaia barsboldi (GIN100/2112); E, Incisivosaurus gauthieri (IVPP V13326); F, Chirostenotes pergracilis (CMN 8776: Caenagnathus collinsi, from ; reversed); G, “Caenagnathus cf. sternbergi” (RTMP 92.36.390, from [27]). H, Nankangia jiangxiensis gen. nov. (GMNH F10003). Scale bars  = 1 cm.

Figure 10
Figure 10. Comparison of ilia among selected oviraptorosaurs in right lateral view.

A, Left ilium of Caudipteryx dongi (reversed); B, Left ilium of Chirostenotes pergracilis (reversed); C, Right ilium of Ingenia yanshini; D, Right ilium of Rinchenia mongoliensis; E, Right ilium of Heyuannia huangi; F, Right ilium of Nemegtomaia barsboldi; G, Left ilium of Nomingia gobiensis (reversed); H, Left ilium of Shixinggia oblita (reversed); I, Left ilium of Luoyanggia liudianensis (reversed); J, Right ilium of Nankangia jiangxiensis gen. et sp. nov. A–H are modified from , I is from . No scale.

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J. Lü was supported by Natural Science Foundation of China grants (41272022). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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