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

Shunosaurus lii

Reptilia

Taxonomy
Shunosaurus lii was named by Dong et al. (1983). Its type specimen is IVPP V.9065, a skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Dashanpu Dinosaur Quarry [lower], which is in a Bajocian/Oxfordian lacustrine sandstone/mudstone in the Shaximiao Formation of China. It is the type species of Shunosaurus.

It was considered a nomen nudum by Xing et al. (2009).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1983Shunosaurus lii Dong et al. pp. 19-26 figs. 7-12, Pl. 4-6
1984Shunosaurus lii He et al. p. 13
1984Shunosaurus lii Zhang et al. p. 1
1986Schunosaurus lii Taquet p. 42
1988Shunosaurus lii Zhang p. 1
1990Shunosaurus lii McIntosh p. 347
1991Shunosaurus lii Zheng p. 117
1992Shunosaurus lii Dong pp. 56-58
1993Shunosaurus lii Buffetaut et al. p. 56
1996Shunosaurus lii Loyal et al. p. 635
1996Shunosaurus lii Zhang and Chen
1997Shunosaurus lii Dong p. 119
1997Shunosaurus lii Vickaryous and Ryan p. 489
1998Shunosaurus lii Wilson and Sereno p. 13
1999Shunosaurus lii Martin-Rolland p. 290 figs. 3-6
2002Shunosaurus lii Chatterjee and Zheng p. 151
2002Shunosaurus lii Wilson p. 271
2004Shunosaurus lii Upchurch et al. p. 262
2005Shunosaurus lii Apesteguía p. 249
2005Shunosaurus lii Peng et al.
2007Shunosaurus lii Upchurch et al. p. 76
2007Shunosaurus lii Ye et al. p. 136
2008Shunosaurus lii Allain and Aquesbi p. 400
2010Shunosaurus lii Saegusa et al. p. 56
2010Shunosaurus lii Yates p. 744
2011Shunosaurus lii Jiang et al. p. 188
2011Shunosaurus lii Li et al. p. 23
2011Shunosaurus lii Saegusa and Tomida p. 253
2012Shunosaurus lii D'Emic
2013Shunosaurus lii Páramo et al. p. 98
2013Shunosaurus lii Tschopp and Mateus p. 324
2014Shunosaurus lii Mocho et al.
2015Shunosaurus lii García et al. p. 39
2021Shunosaurus lii Ren et al. p. 1875
2021Shunosaurus lii Rigby et al. p. 16–17

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

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
RankNameAuthor
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
—Diapsida()
—Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
—Crocopoda
—ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
—Eucrocopoda
—Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
—Ornithodira
—Dinosauromorpha
—Dinosauriformes
—Dinosauria()
—Saurischia()
—Sauropoda()
—Gravisauria
—Eusauropoda
genusShunosaurus
specieslii

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.

†Shunosaurus lii Dong et al. 1983
show all | hide all
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
Z. Dong et al. 1983A moderate-sized primitive sauropod, with a body length that may attain 11 m, and a skull that is moderately high with spoon-shaped teeth. Cervical and dorsal vertebra are solid and anterior sacral centra are also unhoneycombed. The neck is short with shallowly opisthocoelous vertebrae and weak anterior condyles. The cervical centra maintain a long pleurocoel which shallows anteroposteriorly. Neural arches are low and lack laminae, while neural spines are simple in morphology and gradually increase in height and length posteriorly. The apices of the last several neural spines are incised with a deep groove suggesting incipient bifurcation. Dorsal vertebrae are weakly amphicoelous although the last several centra are nearly opisthocoelous. Neural spines are high while neural arches lack any laminar support. Anteroposteriorly, the spines gradually become elongated but neural arch morphology remains simple. Anteriorly, the spines are rod-shaped while posteriorly they become plate-shaped. Robust diapophyses are positioned on the neural arch at the base of the spine, are triangular, and extend slightly dorsally. A hyposphene is present. The pelvic girdle is robust with a high and long ilium that has a well developed pubic peduncle. There are four fused sacral vertebrae with sacral ribs fused to the diapophyses to compose a yoke-shaped contact with the large ilium. The pubis has a large enclosed obturator foramen and, like the ischium, is straight and compressed. The anterior limbs are relatively long with a straight radius and ulna. The femur is straight with a shaft that is elliptical in cross-section and all of the trochanters are generally relatively well developed. The tibia is thick with a well developed calcaneal process. The fibula is straight with a round shaft. Digits are robust with five complete and well developed metatarsals. Cervical to dorsal centra proportions are 1 1/2 - 1 2/3. Tibia length is two-thirds that of the femur. Vertebral count is cervical 12-13, dorsal 13, and sacral 4.
G. Peng et al. 2005Medium-sized primitive sauropod with largest body length of 12 m. It is recognized by relatively low and heavily built skull with height about 1/2 of its length; low and flattened braincase roof; broad and long facial region; anterior end of snout smoothly rounded; median ridge of nasal not arched upward; external naris and orbit large, while antorbital and supratemporal fenestra relatively small; infratemporal fenestra long but narrow; Quadrate inclined anteroventrally; external mandibular foramen present but small; slender and spoon-shaped teeth with few serrations along anterior and posterior margins; dental formula Pm4~5 + M17~19 / D18~21; 12 cervicals, 13 dorsals, 4 sacrals and about 45 caudals; massive presacrals lacking cavernous; short opisthocoelous cervical centra with obvious elongate pleurocoels; cervical neural spines not bifurcated with broad posterior spinal lamellae; anterior dorsal centra slightly opisthocoelous, middle and posterior dorsal centra generally platycoelous or faintly amphicoelous; dorsal neural spines generally not bifurcated; sacrals with developed yoke-like sacricostal processes; last 3~5 caudals fused as a bony tail club; scapula long but narrow; low ilium with massive pubic peduncle; humerus about 2/3 of femur length; radius about 3/5 of humerus length; tibia less than 3/5 length of femur; presence of 3~4 carpals; manual phalangeal formula 2-2-2-2-2?; first manual ungual well developed; and pedal phalangeal formula 2-3-3-3-2.