Pronunciation: shan-SHEE-uh
Meaning: for Shanxi Province
Author/s: Barrett et al. (1998)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Shanxi Province, China
Discovery Chart Position: #437
Shanxia tianzhenensis
Shanxia is a low-slung armoured dinosaur known as an ankylosaurid and was found just 7 km northeast of Kangdailiang Quarry, which was home to the very similar Tianzhenosaurus youngi.
Although initially named as separate species, the pair have since been accused of being the same critter, while Arbour and Currie treated both Shanxia and Tianzhenosaurus as junior synonyms of Saichania during the latest round of research. Its generic separation seems to hinge on whether the shape of the horns that jut out from its "cheeks" at a 145° angle really does distinguish Shanxia from all other ankylosaurs, as stated by Barrett and colleagues in their 1998 description, or if (1) their "unique" shape and size falls within the accepted range of inter-species variation, much like elephants who all have different tusks, or (2) they were squished that way during fossilisation.
(for Shanxi, from Tianzhen)Etymology
Shanxia is named for Shanxi Province. The species epithet, tianzhenensis (tyen-juh-NEN-sis), means "from Tianzhen" in Latin. ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7D606DC1-3F71-4DC8-9D70-911632EA30F2.
Discovery
The remains of Shanxia were discovered at "Wujiashan Quarry" in the Huiquanpu (aka Huiquanbao) Formation, Wu Valley, Tianzhen County, Shanxi (West Mountain) Province, northern China. The holotype (IVPP V11276) is a partial skeleton, including vertebrae, a right upper arm and right thigh, one armour plate and a broad, fragmentary skull. In 2015, Arbour and Currie assigned the holotype to Saichania under the code IVPP V11276, along with
a nearly complete skull (HBV-10001—the holotype of Tianzhenosaurus
youngi), an incomplete right
mandible (HBV-10002—a Tianzhenosaurus youngi paratype), and a nearly complete skull-lacking skeleton (HBV-10003—another Tianzhenosaurus youngi paratype), all from the Huiquanpu Formation at Kangdailiang, near Zhaojiagou Village, Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province, China.
