Pronunciation: JEEN-tah-SOR-us
Meaning: Jin-ta Lizard
Author/s: You and Li (2009)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Gansu, China
Discovery Chart Position: #691
Jintasaurus meniscus
(Crescent Jin-ta Lizard)Etymology
Jintasaurus is derived from the Chinese "Jin-ta" ("Golden Temple") referring to the county in which it was discovered, and the Greek "sauros" (lizard). The species epithet, meniscus, means "crescent" in Latin, and refers to the shape of two of its skull bones (paroccipital processes).
Discovery
The remains of Jintasaurus were discovered in the Xinminpu Group, Yujingzy Basin, Jinta County, Jiuquan area, Gansu Province, China, by a field crew from the Fossil Research and Development Center (FRDC) of the Third Geology and Mineral Resources Exploration Academy of the Gansu Provincial Bureau of Geo-Exploration and Mineral Development, in 2006.
The holotype (FRDC: GJ 06-2-52) is a partial skull.
Preparators
The same field crew that discovered the specimen also excavated and prepared it.
