• DOI:10.4202/app.2009.0047
• Corpus ID: 55220748

A New Troodontid Theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Central China, and the Radiation of Asian Troodontids

@inproceedings{L2010ANT,
  title={A New Troodontid Theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Central China, and the Radiation of Asian Troodontids},
  author={Junchang L{\"u} and Li Xu and Yongqing Liu and Xingliao Zhang and Songhai Jia and Qiang Ji},
  year={2010}
}

• J. Lü, Li Xu, +3 authors Q. Ji
• Published 18 September 2010
• Geography, Environmental Science

A new troodontid dinosaur, Xixiasaurus henanensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Upper Cretaceous Majiacun Formation of the Xixia Basin, Henan Province, is erected, based on a partial skull. It is characterized by bearing 22 maxillary teeth, a distinct opening on the lateral surface of the base of nasal process of the premaxilla, the rostral end of the upper jaw forming a tapered U-shape, and the mandibular symphyseal region slightly inflected medially. Xixiasaurus is most closely related to the Mongolian Byronosaurus among troodontids. Byronosaurus, Urbacodon, and Xixiasaurus may form a new clade, suggesting an endemic radiation of troodontids across Asia, including multiple taxa without dental serrations. The discovery of Xixiasaurus in the Xixia Basin may imply that the Xixiasaurus-bearing Majiacun Formation is Campanian in age.