Lingyuanosaurus

Lingyuanosaurus; Temporal range: Early Cretaceous,; ~133–120 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Holotype specimen as originally preserved
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Clade:	Maniraptora
Clade:	†Therizinosauria
Genus:	†Lingyuanosaurus; Yao et al., 2019
Type species
	†Lingyuanosaurus sihedangensis; Yao et al., 2019

Lingyuanosaurus (meaning "Lingyuan's lizard") is a genus of therizinosaurian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of China. It contains a single species, L. sihedangensis. It was found within a layer of the Jehol Group.

Discovery

The first fossil remains of Lingyuanosaurus were recovered in seven slabs of different sizes from lacustrine sediments of the Jehol Group at Sihedang, Liaoning Province of China. It is not known for certain whether the sediments in which Lingyuanosaurus was found correspond to the Jiufotang or Yixian formations. Given the fact that no other fossils were found in proximity, there were no duplicated elements, all bones had the same color and preservation, the fossils are regarded as belonging to a single individual. These remains are catalogued under the specimen number IVPP V 23589 (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology), and include one cervical centrum, five partial dorsal and sacral vertebrae, six caudal vertebrae, several ribs, partial left and right humeri, two manual unguals, left ilium, a possible portion of left ischium, right femur, partial left tibia and right astragalus, and other indeterminate elements of a disarticulated but associated juvenile individual. The specimen was formally described by Xi Yao and colleagues in 2019 and made the holotype for the new genus and species Lingyuanosaurus sihedangensis. The generic name, Lingyuanosaurus, is in reference to county-level city of Lingyuan and the specific name, sihedangensis, is in reference to its place of discovery as well, the town of Sihedang.^[1]