a new leptoceratopsid (ornithischia ceratopsia) from the upper cretaceous of shandong, china and its implications for neoceratopsian evolution一个新的leptoceratopsid(鸟笼类角龙类)上白垩纪的山东、中国及其对neoceratopsian进化的影响.pdfVIP

A New Leptoceratopsid (Ornithischia: Ceratopsia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Shandong, China and Its Implications for Neoceratopsian Evolution 1 2 1 1 2 Xing Xu *, Kebai Wang , Xijin Zhao , Corwin Sullivan , Shuqing Chen 1 Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, 2 Zhucheng Dinosaur Museum, Bureau of Tourism, Zhucheng, Shandong, China Abstract Background: The ceratopsians represent one of the last dinosaurian radiations. Traditionally the only universally accepted speciose clade within the group was the Ceratopsidae. However, recent discoveries and phylogenetic analyses have led to the recognition of a new speciose clade, the Leptoceratopsidae, which is predominantly known from the Upper Cretaceous of North America. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we report a new leptoceratopsid taxon, Zhuchengceratops inexpectus gen. et sp. nov., based on a partial, articulated skeleton recovered from the Upper Cretaceous Wangshi Group of Zhucheng, Shandong Province, China. Although Zhuchengceratops is significantly different from other known leptoceratopsids, it is recovered as a derived member of the group by our phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, Zhuchengceratops exhibits several features previously unknown in leptoceratopsids but seen in ceratopsids and their close relatives, suggesting that the distribution of morphological features within ceratopsians is more complex than previously realized. Conclusion/Significance: The discovery of Zhuchengceratops increases both the taxonomic diversity and the morphological disparity of the Leptoceratopsidae, providing further support for the hypothesis that this