A New Specimen of Sinosaurus triassicus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Jurassic of Lufeng, Yunnan, China

ABSTRACT

The holotype of Sinosaurus triassicus is poorly preserved, and no previous research has focused exclusively on its anatomy. This research reports a new specimen recovered near the locality of the holotype of S. triassicus including a complete skull with mandible and 11 cervical vertebrae. Three newly identified traits are proposed to be unique of the species – (1) a vertical crest developed dorsoventrally from the ventral portion of the maxilla to the nasal crest; (2) ventral border of the antorbital fenestra formed mostly by the anterior process of the jugal; and (3) a fenestra between the nasal, the lacrimal and the prefrontal. This research provides new information on the cranial anatomy of this species as well as the genus Sinosaurus, offering more accessibility for later research concerning the evolution of early deriving neotheropods.

KEYWORDS:

• Lufeng
• Jurassic
• dinosaur
• anatomy
• sinosaurus

Acknowledgments

A special appreciation to Mr. Dong Zhiming from IVPP for his aid in this work. Other special thanks to Dr Paul Rummy and Mr. Feng Wenqing from IVPP in supporting the transportation of the specimen and the processing of digital graphics. Thank Mr. Chen Yanning from the fossil preservation lab of IVPP, and Mr. Yue Shukai from Dinosaur Fossil Research and Protection Center of Lufeng City, this study would not be conducted without their works in preparing this specimen. A special thank is given to Dr. Lida Xing for his aid in studying the historical study of S. triassicus.

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant No. 42288201 and 41872021] and the Strategic Priority Research Programme of the Chinese Academy of Sciences [Grant No. XDB26000000].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2023.2190760.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [42288201, 41872021] and the Strategic Priority Research Programme of the Chinese Academy of Sciences [Grant No. XDB26000000].