Open Paleo

Chinshakiangosaurus

Dong, 1992 JIN-shah-jiahng-uh-SOR-us

Named after the Chinshakiang (now Jinsha River) in China, + Greek sauros ('lizard'), meaning 'Chinshakiang lizard'.

201.4–199.5 million years ago Hettangian, Early Jurassic
Early Jurassic stages

Chinshakiangosaurus is a genus of basal sauropod dinosaur. The only species, Chinshakiangosaurus chunghoensis, is known from a fragmentary skeleton found in Early Jurassic rocks in China. It is one of the few basal sauropods with preserved skull bones and therefore important for the understanding of the early evolution of this group, and also shows that early sauropods may have possessed fleshy cheeks.

Species

Chinshakiangosaurus chunghoensis Dong, 1992

Type species

Named for the village of Zhonghe (Chungho in older romanization) near the discovery site in Yunnan Province, China.

Holotype
IVPP V14474 , Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Material
Partial skeleton including a nearly complete left dentary, a cervical vertebra, dorsal vertebrae, several anterior caudal vertebrae, both scapulae, an incomplete pelvic girdle, and the hind limbs.
Horizon
lower Fengjiahe Formation, Hettangian, Early Jurassic , 201.4–199.5 million years ago
Locality
Zhonghe, Yunnan, China

References

  1. Yeh, H. K. (1975). Zhū luó xì [Jurassic system]. Yúnnán zhōngshēngdài hóng céng [Mesozoic Red Beds of Yunnan] 11-31. Academia Sinica.

    Proposed the name Chinshakiangosaurus chunghoensis without a description, leaving it a nomen nudum.

    yeh1975a
  2. Dong, Z. (1992). Dinosaurian Faunas of China. China Ocean Press, Beijing.

    First described and figured the holotype, making the name available; the valid authorship is Chinshakiangosaurus chunghoensis Ye vide Dong, 1992.

    dong1992a
  3. Upchurch, P.; Barrett, P. M.; Zhao, X. J.; Xu, X. (2007). A re-evaluation of Chinshakiangosaurus chunghoensis Ye vide Dong 1992 (Dinosauria, Sauropodomorpha): implications for cranial evolution in basal sauropod dinosaurs. Geological Magazine 144(2): 247-262. doi:10.1017/S0016756806003062

    Re-evaluation of the holotype dentary and reassessment of the taxon as provisionally valid; documents the holotype material, locality, and horizon.

    upchurch2007a
  4. Paul, G. S. (2024). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (3rd ed.). Princeton University Press.

    Source of the mass estimate.

    paul2024a
  5. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate.

    jones2026b