Open Paleo

Pukyongosaurus

Dong et al., 2001 puk-YON-go-SOR-us Nomen dubium

Named after Pukyong National University in South Korea, combined with Greek sauros (lizard); meaning "Pukyong lizard".

121.4–100.5 million years ago Aptian–Albian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Pukyongosaurus is a genus of titanosauriform dinosaur that lived in South Korea during the Early Cretaceous Period (Aptian–Albian). It may have been closely related to Euhelopus, and is known from a series of vertebrae in the neck and back. The characteristics that were originally used to distinguish this genus have been criticized as being either widespread or too poorly preserved to evaluate, rendering the genus an indeterminate nomen dubium among titanosauriforms.

Under dispute

Pukyongosaurus is based on fragmentary remains and was originally referred to Euhelopodidae (Dong and colleagues, 2001). It is a nomen dubium: Upchurch and colleagues (2004) list it as one, and Mannion and colleagues (2013) find no diagnostic features and regard it as an indeterminate titanosauriform. D'Emic (2012) places it among the basal somphospondylans but leaves it out of analysis because its validity could not be substantiated.

Species

Pukyongosaurus millenniumi Dong et al., 2001 Nomen dubium

Type species

From Latin 'millennium' meaning 'a thousand years', referring to the year 2000 around which the fossil material was described, marking the turn of the millennium.

Holotype
PKNU-G.102, PKNU-G.103, PKNU-G.104, PKNU-G.105, PKNU-G.106, PKNU-G.107, PKNU-G.108, PKNU-G.109 , Pukyong National University Museum
Material
Fragmentary skeleton: seven cervical vertebrae, one dorsal vertebra, a possible partial clavicle, one complete chevron, and isolated bones.
Horizon
Hasandong Formation, Aptian–Albian, Early Cretaceous , 121.4–100.5 million years ago
Locality
Galsari, Hadong-gun, South Gyeongsang, South Korea

References

  1. Dong, Z.; Paik, I. S.; Kim, H. J. (2001). A preliminary report on a sauropod from the Hasandong Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Korea. Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 41-53. dong2001a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length, mass, and hip height estimates.

    jones2026b
  3. D'Emic, M. D. (2012). The early evolution of titanosauriform sauropod dinosaurs. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166: 624-671. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00853.x

    Placed Pukyongosaurus as an indeterminate titanosauriform or basal somphospondylan.

    d'emic2012b
  4. Upchurch, P.; Barrett, P. M.; Dodson, P. (2004). Sauropoda. The Dinosauria, Second Edition (Weishampel, D. B.; Dodson, P.; Osmólska, H., eds.) 259-322. University of California Press, Berkeley.

    Lists Pukyongosaurus millenniumi among the sauropod nomina dubia.

    upchurch2004a
  5. Mannion, P. D.; Upchurch, P.; Barnes, R. N.; Mateus, O. (2013). Osteology of the Late Jurassic Portuguese sauropod dinosaur Lusotitan atalaiensis (Macronaria) and the evolutionary history of basal titanosauriforms. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 168(1): 98-206. Oxford University Press (OUP). doi:10.1111/zoj.12029

    Regards Pukyongosaurus as an indeterminate titanosauriform, lacking diagnostic features.

    mannion2013a