Pronunciation: sul-ay-mahn-i-sor-us
Meaning: Sulaiman lizard
Author/s: Malkani (2006)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Balochistan, Pakistan
Discovery Chart Position: #594
Sulaimanisaurus gingerichi
Known only from isolated tail vertebrae.
(Gingerich's Sulaiman lizard)Etymology
Sulaimanisaurus is derived from "Sulaiman" (for the Sulaiman foldbelt, a geologic feature of Pakistan) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard). The species epithet (or specific name), gingerichi,
honours Professor Dr Philip D. Gingerich "for verifying the ideas of author
regarding first dinosaurs from Pakistan". (sic)
Discovery
The remains of Sulaimanisaurus were discovered at the Kinwa Kali Kakor locality (DL-4) in the Vitakri Member of the Pab Formation, Barkhan District, Balochistan Province, Pakistan, by a team of palaeontologists from the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) in 2001.
The holotype (MSM-17-4 to MSM-22-4, housed in the
Museum of the Geological Survey of Pakistan, Quetta) is seven
fragmentary tail (caudal) vertebrae that "seem to be associated" (sic).
Four more fragmentary tail vertebrae, MSM-23-3 from the Shalghara Kali Kakor locality (DL-3), and MSM-24-15, MSM-25-15 and MSM-26-15 from the Mari Bohri locality (DL-15)... which also "seem to be associated" were also assigned here.
