Xiangyunloong
From Chinese 'Xiangyun' (auspicious clouds), the name of the county where the specimen was found, and 'loong', the Pinyin for the traditional Chinese dragon symbolizing power and auspiciousness.
Xiangyunloong is a genus of non-sauropodan massopodan sauropodomorph dinosaur known from the Early Jurassic Fengjiahe Formation at Daaonai, Xiangyun County, Yunnan Province, China. The genus contains a single species, Xiangyunloong fengming, known from a partial postcranial skeleton of a skeletally mature individual estimated at about 9–10 m in length.
Diagnosis
- Lateral expansion developed at the middle region of the dorsal end of cervical neural spines.
- Hyposphene of dorsal vertebrae equal to or greater than the height of the neural canal.
- Highly developed posterodorsal corner present at the neural spine of the last dorsal vertebra.
- Presence of a prezygapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossa (PRCDF) in the first caudal vertebra, framed by ACDL, CPRL, and PRDL laminae.
- Ilium with anteroposteriorly reduced but laterally and ventrally flaring supracetabular crest.
Species
Xiangyunloong fengming Hu et al., 2026
Type species
From Chinese 'fengming' (phoenix singing), echoing 'Luming' (deer calling), the name of the town where the fossil was discovered; also honors Lin Fengmian, founding president of the China Academy of Art, whose staff participated in the project.
- Holotype
- YDDY 10001, YDDY 10002, YDDY 10003, YDDY 10004, YDDY 10005, YDDY 10006, YDDY 10007, YDDY 10008, YDDY 10009, YDDY 10010, YDDY 10011, YDDY 10012, YDDY 10013, YDDY 10014, YDDY 10015, YDDY 10016, YDDY 10017, YDDY 10018, YDDY 10019, YDDY 10020, YDDY 10021, YDDY 10022, YDDY 10023, YDDY 10024, YDDY 10025, YDDY 10026, YDDY 10027, YDDY 10028, YDDY 10029, YDDY 10030, YDDY 10031, YDDY 10032, YDDY 10033, YDDY 10034, YDDY 10035, YDDY 10036, YDDY 10037, YDDY 10038, YDDY 10039, YDDY 10040, YDDY 10041 , Yunnan Institute of Geological Survey
- Material
- Partial skeleton: three cervical, five dorsal, and fifteen caudal vertebrae; several dorsal rib fragments; nearly a dozen chevrons; an incomplete left ilium; and a right ischium.
- Horizon
- Fengjiahe Formation, Hettangian–Sinemurian, Early Jurassic , 201.4–192.9 million years ago
- Locality
- Daaonai, Yunnan, China
References
- Hu, S. B.; Wang, Y. C.; Mo, X.; Zhang, X. Q.; Zeng, W. T.; Wang, T.; Sun, Z. B.; Dong, Q. X.; Guan, Q.; Liu, Y. H.; Zhang, Y. S.; Bing, Y.; Wang, Y. M.; You, H. L. (2026). A new sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic Fengjiahe Formation of Dali of Yunnan Province, China. Royal Society Open Science 13(3). The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rsos.252219 hu2026a