Liaoceratops

Speculative reconstruction of Liaoceratops

• China

• Yanzigouensis L. Xu et al. 2002

Liaoceratops is a genus of bird Beck dinosaur ( Ornithischia ) from the group of ceratopsians, within which he is counted among the primitive representatives of Neoceratopsia.

Features

From Liaoceratops are so far only two skulls known to be one of an adult and a young animal. Characteristic of the genus, a horn -like outgrowth were each under each eye. Some features may recognize the primitive character: Comprised of parietal and squamosal neck shield, which was well developed in the later ceratopsians, was with him very small and the Rostralknochen (at the tip of the upper jaw ) had not yet keeled with this dinosaur. This bone was formed as with all Ceratopsia together with the Praedentale typical of the dinosaur group parrot beak. Like all members of this group was Liaoceratops herbivores. About the rest of the body is not known, it may be moved away how many primitive Neoceratopsia mostly bipedal ( two-legged ).

Discovery and designation

The fossil remains of Liaoceratops were in the Yixian Formation in Liaoning province, which is also known for their feathered dinosaur discovered and first described in 2002 by Xu, Makovicky, Wang, Norell and You. The name derives from Liao, the abbreviation of the Fund province, and Greek keratops ( = " horn face" ), a common name component of the ceratopsians, from. The only described species and the type species is L. yanzigouensis.

Systematics and dating

Cladistic studies of the describer organize Liaoceratops as a representative of the most primitive Neoceratopsia. The finds are dated to the Early Cretaceous ( Barremian ) at an age 131-126 million years. Thus, it is also one of the oldest undisputed Neoceratopsiern, a diverse dinosaur group that is otherwise usually occupied only from the Upper Cretaceous.