Open Paleo

Peishansaurus

Bohlin, 1953 /ˌbeɪˌʃɑːnˈsɔːrəs/ Nomen dubium

Named after Beishan (Peishan in older romanization), meaning 'Northern Mountains' in Chinese (Chinese: 北山, Běishān), in Gansu Province where the specimen was found, combined with Greek sauros meaning 'lizard'

125.8–100.5 million years ago Barremian–Albian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Peishansaurus was a genus of ornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period (late Santonian-Campanian stages), roughly 85-72 million years ago.

Under dispute

Peishansaurus philemys rests on the front of a small lower jaw. Bohlin (1953) tentatively placed it in Nodosauridae, but Vickaryous and colleagues (2004) consider it doubtfully ankylosaurian, and Arbour and Currie (2015) find it impossible to tell from the published figures whether it is an ankylosaur, listing it as a questionable thyreophoran. Carpenter (2001) lists the jaw as a possible pachycephalosaur.

Species

Peishansaurus philemys Bohlin, 1953 Nomen dubium

Type species

From Greek 'phileo' meaning 'to love' and 'emys' meaning 'water turtle', meaning 'lover of turtles', in reference to the co-occurrence of the turtle Peishanemys latipons at the same site.

Holotype
Not catalogued (unknown)
Material
A fragment comprising the anterior end of the right lower jaw.
Notes
Never given a collection number; specimen potentially lost.
Horizon
Xinminpu Group, Barremian–Albian, Early Cretaceous , 125.8–100.5 million years ago
Locality
Ehr-chia-wu-tung, Gansu, China

References

  1. Bohlin, B. (1953). VI. Vertebrate Palaeontology 6. Fossil reptiles from Mongolia and Kansu. Reports from the Scientific Expedition to the North-western Provinces of China under Leadership of Dr. Sven Hedin. The Sino-Swedish Expedition Publication 37: 1-113.

    Named Peishansaurus for the front of a right lower jaw and placed it tentatively in Nodosauridae.

    bohlin1953a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

    Lists the genus among nomina dubia, possibly an ankylosaur.

    jones2026a
  3. Arbour, V. M.; Currie, P. J. (2015). Systematics, phylogeny and palaeobiogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14(5): 385-444. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/14772019.2015.1059985

    Finds it impossible to confirm from the figures that the type is ankylosaurian; no diagnosis was ever given.

    arbour2015a
  4. Maryańska, T. (1977). Ankylosauridae (Dinosauria) from Mongolia. Palaeontologia Polonica 37: 85-151.

    Listed Peishansaurus philemys as a nomen dubium and questionable ankylosaur, the type uncatalogued at the IVPP.

    maryańska1977a
  5. Vickaryous, M. K.; Maryańska, T.; Weishampel, D. B. (2004). Ankylosauria. The Dinosauria, Second Edition (Weishampel, D. B.; Dodson, P.; Osmólska, H., eds.) 363-392. University of California Press, Berkeley.

    Listed Peishansaurus philemys among nomina dubia as doubtfully ankylosaurian.

    vickaryous2004a
  6. Carpenter, K. (2001). Phylogenetic analysis of the Ankylosauria. The Armored Dinosaurs 455-483. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

    Listed the jaw among undiagnosable ankylosaur taxa, as a possible pachycephalosaur.

    carpenter2001d