Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Beipiaosaurus inexpectus

Osteichthyes

Taxonomy
Beipiaosaurus inexpectus was named by Xu et al. (1999). Its type specimen is IVPP 11559, a skull (femur), and it is a compression preserving soft parts. Its type locality is Sihetun, lower Yixian (general), which is in a Barremian/Aptian lacustrine shale/siltstone in the Yixian Formation of China. It is the type species of Beipiaosaurus.

Entered
by M. Carrano on 2005-10-24; modified by M. Carrano on 2022-03-23

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1999Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Wang et al. p. 459
1999Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Xu et al. p. 351 figs. 1-2
2002Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Yao et al. p. 221
2003Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Currie p. 56
2003Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Rauhut p. 41
2003Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Ruiz-Omeñaca and Canudo p. 296
2004Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Clark et al. p. 152
2006Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Zanno p. 637
2009Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Xu et al. p. 832
2009Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Zanno et al. p. S15
2010Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Zanno p. 197
2012Beipiaosaurus inexpectatus Qian et al. p. 341
2012Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Senter et al. p. 1
2012Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Xing et al. p. 503
2013Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Pu et al.
2019Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Liao and Xu p. 119
2019Beipiaosaurus inexpectus You et al. p. 8

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
RankNameAuthor
—Diapsida()
—Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
—Crocopoda
—ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
—Eucrocopoda
—Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
—Ornithodira
—Dinosauromorpha
—Dinosauriformes
—Dinosauria()
—Theropoda()
—Neotheropoda
—AverostraPaul 2002
—Tetanurae
—Coelurosauria()
—Maniraptoriformes
—TherizinosauriaRussell 1997
superfamilyTherizinosauroidea
genusBeipiaosaurus
speciesinexpectus

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Beipiaosaurus inexpectus Xu et al. 1999
show all | hide all
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
L. E. Zanno 2010A therizinosaurian bearing the following autapomorphies: elongate lateral articular surface on manual phalanx I-I (Xu et al. 1999b); obturator process of ischium sinusoidal, with ventrally deflected distal portion; ischial boot approximately twice craniocaudal depth of distal shaft; low ridge on cranial femoral shaft extending proximally from medial condyle. Possession of four fused caudal dorsals and a pygostyle incorpo- rating up to seven caudal vertebrae may also be autapomorphic for this species, as well as the presence of a prominent triangular flange extending from ventrolateral surface of metacarpal I, which although found on other theropod taxa is likely of autapomorphic morphology in Beipiaosaurus and may be homologous with rectangular buttress on advanced taxa.
C.-C. Liao and X. Xu 2019(from cranium only) A small therizinosaurian distinguishable from
other therizinosaurians in having the following cranial autapomorphies: postorbital process of frontal large and abruptly transits from orbital rim, parietal with a long and sharp anterior process, ventral ramus of parietal squamosal process extremely long, and external mandibular fenestra deep dorsoventrally and extremely posteriorly located.