Open Paleo

Dilong

Xu et al., 2004 DEE-long

From Chinese di (地, 'earth' or 'ground') + long (龍, 'dragon'), meaning 'earth dragon'. The name references Chinese mythology in which the dilong is the earthbound counterpart to the heavenly tianlong.

125.8–121.4 million years ago Barremian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Dilong is a genus of small basal tyrannosauroid dinosaurs. The only species in the genus is Dilong paradoxus, known from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of East Asia (in what is now China). The discovery of Dilong was significant as it provided the first evidence of feathers in tyrannosaurs, something which had previously been suspected for the group.

Diagnosis

  1. Two large pneumatic recesses dorsal to the antorbital fossa on the maxilla
  2. Y-shaped crest formed by the nasals and lacrimals
  3. Extremely long descending process of the squamosal extending close to the mandibular articulation of the quadrate
  4. Lateral projection of the basisphenoid anterior to the basal tuber
  5. Very deep, sub-circular interspinous ligamentous fossae on cervical vertebrae
  6. Robust scapula with distal end twice as wide as the proximal scapular blade; hypertrophied coracoid approximately 70% of scapular length

Species

Dilong paradoxus Xu et al., 2004

Type species

A Latinization of Ancient Greek 'paradoxon' meaning 'against received wisdom'.

Holotype
IVPP V14243 , Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Material
Semi-articulated skeleton including an almost complete skull
Horizon
lower Yixian Formation, Barremian, Early Cretaceous , 125.8–121.4 million years ago
Locality
Lujiatun, Beipiao, Liaoning, China

References

  1. Xu, X.; Norell, M. A.; Kuang, X.; Wang, X.; Zhao, Q.; Jia, C. (2004). Basal tyrannosauroids from China and evidence for protofeathers in tyrannosauroids. Nature 431(7009): 680-684. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/nature02855 xu2004d
  2. Wang, Y.; Olsen, P. E.; Sha, J.; Yao, X.; Liao, H.; Pan, Y.; Kinney, S.; Zhang, X.; Rao, X. (2016). Stratigraphy, correlation, depositional environments, and cyclicity of the Early Cretaceous Yixian and ?Jurassic-Cretaceous Tuchengzi formations in the Sihetun area (NE China) based on three continuous cores. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Elsevier BV.

    Raises Lujiatun to member rank within the Yixian Formation.

    wang2016a
  3. Molina-Pérez, R.; Larramendi, A. (2019). Dinosaur Facts and Figures: The Theropods and Other Dinosauriformes. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length and mass estimates.

    molina-pérez2019a
  4. Paul, G. S. (2024). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (3rd ed.). Princeton University Press.

    Source of the appearance features.

    paul2024a
  5. Zhong, Y.; Huyskens, M. H.; Yin, Q. Z.; Wang, Y.; Ma, Q.; Xu, Y. G. (2021). High-precision geochronological constraints on the duration of 'Dinosaur Pompeii' and the Yixian Formation. National Science Review 8(6): nwab063. doi:10.1093/nsr/nwab063

    Dates the base of the Yixian Formation, the Lujiatun Unit that yielded the holotype, to 125.755 Ma: Barremian on the ICS chart v2024/12 at its central value; its error reaches the Hauterivian.

    zhong2021a
  6. Gale, A. S.; Mutterlose, J.; Batenburg, S.; Gradstein, F. M.; Agterberg, F. P.; Ogg, J. G.; Petrizzo, M. R. (2020). The Cretaceous Period. Geologic Time Scale 2020 (Gradstein, F. M.; Ogg, J. G.; Schmitz, M. D.; Ogg, G. M., eds) 1023-1086. Elsevier, Amsterdam. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-824360-2.00027-9

    Gives the GTS2020 Barremian span, 126.5 to 121.4 Ma; the ICS chart v2024/12 starts the stage at 125.77 Ma.

    gale2020a