A new specimen of the early-branching sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Chuanjie Basin, Lufeng, Yunnan Province
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Abstract:
At present, early-branching sauropodomorph dinosaurs from China are mainly discovered in the Lower Jurassic in Lufeng, Yunnan Province. A new specimen of the early-branching sauropodomorph from the Lufeng Formation of the Chuanjie Basin, Lufeng, including relatively complete cervical and dorsal vertebrae as well as a broken scapula, pubes and pedal elements, is described here. The osteological morphology of the new specimen is described in detail and compared with other early-branching sauropodomorphs. The specimen is more similar to that of Lufengosaurus than to other early-branching sauropodomorphs from the Lufeng Formation. Phylogenetic analysis recovers this specimen as a part of a polytomy with Coloradisaurus and Glacialisaurus, and they are referred to Massospondylidae along with Lufengosaurus. The unfused centrum and neural arch of the cervical and dorsal vertebrae of the new specimen indicate that the ontogenetic stage of this individual is juvenile–subadult. This discovery increases the diversity of Massospondylidae from Asia, and expands our knowledge of the Lufeng dinosaur fauna.
