Qiupalong
From Chinese 'Qiupa' (the Qiupa Formation where it was found) + 'long' (dragon), meaning 'dragon from the Qiupa Formation'.
Qiupalong is an extinct genus of ornithomimosaurian theropod that was discovered in the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Henan, China. The genus contains a single species, Q. henanensis, the specific epithet for which was named for the province of Henan. Uniquely, Qiupalong is one of the few Late Cretaceous non-avian dinosaurs known from both Asia and Laramidia. A specimen from Alberta has been referred to the genus without being assigned to the type species or suggested to be similar to it. A fossil of an ornithomimid similar to Qiupalong has also been described from Russian Far East.
Diagnosis
- Notch on the lateral surface of the medial posterior process of the proximal end of tibia, unlike other ornithomimosaurs
- Small pit present at the contact between astragalus and calcaneum, unlike other ornithomimids
Species
Qiupalong henanensis Xu et al., 2011
Type species
Named for Henan Province, China, where the holotype was discovered.
- Holotype
- HGM 41HIII-0106 , Henan Geological Museum
- Material
- Disarticulated partial skeleton including ilia, pubes, partial ischia, right hindlimb (tibia, metatarsals, and phalanges)
- Horizon
- Qiupa Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
- Locality
- a quarry near Qiupa village, Henan, China
References
- Xu, L.; Kobayashi, Y.; Lü, J.; Lee, Y. N.; Liu, Y.; Tanaka, K.; Zhang, X.; Jia, S.; Zhang, J. (2011). A new ornithomimid dinosaur with North American affinities from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation in Henan Province of China. Cretaceous Research 32(2): 213-222. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2010.12.004 xu2011b
-
Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.
Source of the hip height estimate, and the appearance features.
jones2026c