Yanbeilong
From Chinese yanbe meaning 'north of Yanmen Pass' (a region of Shanxi Province, China) and long meaning 'dragon'; translates as 'north of Yanmen Pass dragon'
Yanbeilong is an extinct genus of stegosaurian dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous (Albian age) Zuoyun Formation of Shanxi, China. The genus contains a single species, Yanbeilong ultimus, known from a single partial skeleton including several vertebrae and the pelvic girdle. It is one of the youngest known stegosaurs, alongside Mongolostegus from Mongolia and unnamed stegosaurine remains from the Hekou Group of China, both of which date to the Aptian-Albian ages.
Diagnosis
- High neural arch and small neural canal of dorsal vertebrae with neural arch to canal height ratio of 4.16–5.64 in most middle and posterior dorsals
- Fewer true sacrals (three) as an adult than other known stegosaurs except Hesperosaurus mjosi
- More slanted pre-acetabular processes that diverge widely from parasagittal plane, extending anteroventrally in lateral view
Species
Yanbeilong ultimus Jia et al., 2024
Type species
From Latin 'ultimus' meaning 'last', reflecting that this taxon represents a late-surviving member of the stegosaur lineage.
- Holotype
- SXMG V 00006 , Shanxi Museum of Geology
- Material
- Partial skeleton including seven dorsal vertebrae, one caudal vertebra, iliosacral block with sacrum and ilium, left ischium, associated right ilium and pubis
- Horizon
- lower Zuoyun Formation, Albian, Early Cretaceous , 113.2–100.5 million years ago
- Locality
- Madaotou Township, Shanxi, China
References
- Jia, L.; Li, N.; Dong, L.; Shi, J.; Kang, Z.; Wang, S.; Xu, S.; You, H. (2024). A new stegosaur from the late Early Cretaceous of Zuoyun, Shanxi Province, China. Historical Biology 37(2): 420-429. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2308214 jia2024a
-
Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.
Source of the body length estimate, and the appearance features.
jones2026a