Gobisaurus
Gobisaurus is an extinct genus of herbivorous basal ankylosaurid ankylosaur from the Upper Cretaceous (and possibly also the Lower Cretaceous) of China (Nei Mongol Zizhiqu). The genus is monotypic, containing only the species Gobisaurus domoculus.[1]
The Sino-Soviet Expeditions (1959–1960) discovered an ankylosaurian skeleton in the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia near Moartu, in the region of the Alashan Desert. The find was largely neglected until fossils were selected for a travelling exhibition touring the globe between 1990 and 1997, in the context of the China-Canada Dinosaur Project. The postcranial skeleton could not be located but the skull was displayed, informally labelled "Gobisaurus", at the time a nomen nudum.
In 2001, Matthew K. Vickaryous, Anthony P. Russell, Philip John Currie and Zhao Xijin named and described the type species Gobisaurus domoculus. The generic name means "Gobi (Desert) lizard," referring to its provenance. The specific name means "hidden from view" in Latin, referring to its being overlooked for three decades.[2]
The holotype, IVPP V12563, was found in a layer of the Ulansuhai Formation. In 2001, an Aptian age was presumed but later studies indicate it dated from the younger Turonian. It consists of a skull and the as yet undescribed postcranial remains.[2]
In 2014, Victoria Arbour concluded that Zhongyuansaurus, the type specimen of which, HGM 41HIII-0002, includes extensive postcranial remains, was a possible junior synonym of Gobisaurus.[3]
Gobisaurus is a large ankylosaurian. The skull measured 46 centimetres (18 in) in length and 45 centimetres (18 in) across.[1]
