Charonosaurus
Named after Charon, the ferryman of the dead in Greek mythology who ferried souls across the river (the Amur River, near where the fossils were found, divides China and Russia), combined with Greek sauros meaning 'lizard'. Full meaning: 'Charon's lizard'.
Late Cretaceous stages
Charonosaurus is a genus of lambeosaurine hadrosaurid dinosaur similar to Parasaurolophus that lived in the latest Cretaceous Yuliangze Formation of China. Its fossils were described by Godefroit, Zan, and Jin in 2000, on the south bank of the Amur River, dividing China from Russia. It is monotypic, consisting of the species, C. jiayinensis.
Diagnosis
- Dorsal surface of parietal regularly rounded, without sagittal crest
- Lateral side of squamosal nearly completely covered by caudal ramus of postorbital
- Paroccipital and postcotyloid processes very low, extending only at mid-height of foramen magnum
- Alar process of basisphenoid prominent and symmetrical
- Tricipital crest developed on the humerus
- Forearm elongated and slender: ulna total length/proximal width ratio >6.3, radius >6.6; preacetabular process of ilium elongated, ilium length/preacetabular length >2.1
Species
Charonosaurus jiayinensis Godefroit et al., 2000
Type species
Named for the type locality of Jiayin, in Heilongjiang Province, China, where the fossils were discovered.
- Holotype
- CUST J-V1251-57 , Jilin University Museum
- Material
- A partial skull
- Horizon
- Yuliangzi Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
- Locality
- Longgushan, Heilongjiang, China
References
- Godefroit, P.; Zan, S.; Jin, L. (2000). Charonosaurus jiayinensis n.g., n.sp.,a lambeosaurine dinosaur from the Late Maastrichtian of northeastern China. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences - Series IIA - Earth and Planetary Science 330(12): 875-882. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/s1251-8050(00)00214-7 godefroit2000a