Pronunciation: NYAH-nah
Meaning: Little child
Author/s: Moopen et al. (2026)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Acta Ordinal: #1261
Nyana rooiwalensis
(Little Child from Rooiwal)Etymology
In the languages of Xhosa and Sesotho, Nyana means "son" or "child" (Xhosa), and "small" or "little" (Sesotho), in reference to the young age of the holotype individual.
The species epithet, rooiwalensis (roy-vah-LEN-sis), is derived from "Rooiwal" (Eastern Cape Tribal Administrative Area 17, in which the fossil site is located) and the Latin "-ensis" (from).
Discovery
The remains of Nyana were discovered in the lower Elliot Formation (Stormberg Group) on the outskirts of Qhemegha Village, Sterkspruit District, 2 km north of the village of Gcina, Rooiwal Tribal Area, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, by Marie-Claire Koschowitz in 2018.The holotype (BP/1/8468) is the partial skeleton of a single, juvenile individual, including a near-complete, articulated skull, vertebrae from the neck, back, hip and tail, a left lower arm bone, a finger bone and claw, both ends of a right thigh, the bottom end of a left shin, and a toe claw.
Preparators
Mabote Louw and Charlton Dube.
