Zhuchengtitan
Named after Zhucheng, Shandong Province, China where it was found, combined with Greek titan meaning 'giant'; translates as 'Zhucheng titan'
Zhuchengtitan is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Shandong, China. It contains a single species, Z. zangjiazhuangensis, named by Mo Jinyou and colleagues in 2017 from a single humerus. Zhuchengtitan can be identified by the extreme width of the top end of its humerus, as well as the expansion of the deltopectoral crest on its humerus; both of these characteristics indicate that it was likely closely related to Opisthocoelicaudia. However, it differs from the latter by the flatter bottom articulating surface of its humerus. Zhuchengtitan lived in a floodplain environment alongside Shantungosaurus, Zhuchengtyrannus, and Sinoceratops.
Diagnosis
- Proximal portion strongly expanded transversely, maximum width reaching 55% of shaft length
- Humeral shaft extremely robust with robustness index (RI) of 0.39
- Deltopectoral crest expands distally and deflects medially to reach 2/5 of bone length
- Prominent lateral convexity on outer proximal one-third of lateral margin
- Mid-shaft cross-section elliptical with long axis oriented mediolaterally
Species
Zhuchengtitan zangjiazhuangensis Mo et al., 2017
Type species
Named for the Zangjiazhuang Quarry in Zhucheng, Shandong, China, where the holotype humerus was recovered.
- Holotype
- ZJZ-57 , Zucheng Dinosaur Culture Research Center
- Material
- A relatively complete left humerus.
- Horizon
- lower Hongtuya Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
- Locality
- Zangjiazhuang, Shandong, China
References
- Mo, J.; Wang, K.; Chen, S.; Wang, P.; Xu, X. (2017). A new titanosaurian sauropod from the Late Cretaceous strata of Shandong Province. Geological Bulletin of China 36(9): 1501-1504. doi:10.12097/gbc.dztb-36-9-1501 mo2017a