Pronunciation: gong-PO-chwen-SOR-us
Meaning: Gongpoquan lizard
Author/s: You et al. (2014)
Synonyms: Probactrosaurus mazongshanensis
First Discovery: Gansu, China
Discovery Chart Position: #885
Gongpoquansaurus mazongshanensis
In recent years, the Mazongshan area of China has seen a surge of new Early-Cretaceous-aged basal hadrosauroids (the dinosaurs closer to Parasaurolophus than to Iguanodon), with Equijubus normani, Jintasaurus meniscus, Xuwulong yueluni and Probactrosaurus mazongshanensis—all named by lead authors with names that rhyme with "poo"—jostling for their slice of media attention.
In 2014, Gongpoquansaurus was added to the roll call, but it didn't bolster their numbers. It's based on the critter previously known as Probactrosaurus mazongshanensis, whose referred remains may all belong to Equijubus normani, which means it can lay claim only to a holotype lump of fossilized skull. But at least it sports a trio of features that set it apart from Jintasaurus and Xuwulong.
In 2014, Gongpoquansaurus was added to the roll call, but it didn't bolster their numbers. It's based on the critter previously known as Probactrosaurus mazongshanensis, whose referred remains may all belong to Equijubus normani, which means it can lay claim only to a holotype lump of fossilized skull. But at least it sports a trio of features that set it apart from Jintasaurus and Xuwulong.
(Gongpoquan lizard from Mazongshan)Etymology
Gongpoquansaurus is derived from "Gongpoquan" (for the Gongpoquan basin) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard).
The species epithet (or specific name), mazongshanensis, means "from Mazong-shan" in Latin.
Discovery
The remains of Gongpoquansaurus were discovered in the Zhonggou Formation (Xinminbao Group) at Mazong-Shan ("horse mane mountain") Town, Gonpoquan Basin, Jiuquan City, Gansu, China, during the Sino-Japanese Silk Road dinosaur expedition in the summer of 1992. The holotype (IVPP V.1133) is a piece of skull.
Lü referred several specimens from (probably) the same quarry to Probactrosaurus mazongshanensis in his coining paper, including four neck vertebrae (IVPP V.11334–1), a back vertebra (IVPP V.11334-2), a sacrum (IVPP V.11334-3), two series of tail vertebrae with some neural spines and chevrons (IVPP V.11334-4), a partial right femur (IVPP V.11334-5), some hip bones (IVPP V.11334-6, 7, 8, 9), six teeth (IVPP V.11334-10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15), a partial quadrate bone from the skull (IVPP V.11334-16), a left shoulder blade (IVPP V.11334-17), and part of the left humerus (IVPP V.11334-18). But they have as much chance as belonging to fellow iguanodontian Equijubus normani which was already known from the Gonpoquan Basin, so they weren't included in You, Li and Dodson's re-diognosis when they officially renamed the holotype Gongpoquansaurus in 2014.
