# Gyposaurus

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gyposaurus
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gyposaurus.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyposaurus
> Source revision: 1328582457
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Not to be confused with [Gryposaurus](/source/Gryposaurus).

***Gyposaurus*** (meaning "[vulture](/source/Vulture) [lizard](/source/Lizard)", referring to the outdated [hypothesis](/source/Hypothesis) that [prosauropods](/source/Prosauropod) were [carnivores](/source/Carnivore)) is a [genus](/source/Genus) of basal [sauropodomorph](/source/Sauropodomorph) [dinosaur](/source/Dinosaur) from the early [Jurassic](/source/Jurassic) of [South Africa](/source/South_Africa). It is usually considered to represent juveniles of other [prosauropods](/source/Prosauropod), but *"G." sinensis* is regarded as a possibly valid species.[1]

## Taxonomy

*G. capensis* was named in 1911 by [Scottish](/source/Scottish_people) [physician](/source/Physician) and [paleontologist](/source/Paleontologist) [Robert Broom](/source/Robert_Broom) from a partial skeleton consisting of eleven [dorsal](/source/Dorsum_(biology)) and six [caudal](/source/Tail) [vertebrae](/source/Vertebrae), [ribs](/source/Ribs), [gastralia](/source/Gastralium), partial right [scapula](/source/Scapula), right [pelvic girdle](/source/Pelvic_girdle), left [ilium](/source/Ilium_(bone)), and most of the right leg, discovered in the [Upper Elliot Formation](/source/Elliot_Formation) of [Orange Free State](/source/Orange_Free_State), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa).[2] Originally, he thought the specimen belonged to the dubious genus *[Hortalotarsus](/source/Hortalotarsus)*.[2] [Galton](/source/Peter_Galton) and Cluver placed it in the genus *[Anchisaurus](/source/Anchisaurus)* in 1976,[3] but Michael Cooper synonymized it with *[Massospondylus](/source/Massospondylus)* in 1981,[4] which has been generally accepted.

*"G." sinensis* was named by [Yang Zhongjian](/source/Yang_Zhongjian) (C.C. Young) in 1941 for four specimens including jaw fragments and postcranial material from the [Early Jurassic](/source/Early_Jurassic) [Lufeng Formation](/source/Lufeng_Formation) of [Yunnan Province](/source/Yunnan_Province), [China](/source/China).[5] In 1976, Galton referred it to *[Lufengosaurus](/source/Lufengosaurus)*,[6] while [Dong Zhiming](/source/Dong_Zhiming) referred it to *[Anchisaurus](/source/Anchisaurus)* in 1992.[7] Galton and Upchurch (2004) considered it to be a valid, distinct taxon in need of a new generic name.[1] Barrett *et al.* (2007) proposed the name "Gripposaurus" for this species, but it is a *[nomen nudum](/source/Nomen_nudum)*.[8] Unpublished results of a presentation by Wang and colleagues at the SVP 2017 conference indicate that *"G." sinensis* is a junior synonym of *Lufengosaurus huenei*; however, some referred specimens need further study to determine their relationships.[9] Wang, Zhao & You (2024) agreed with this assessment.[10]

## References

1. Galton, P.M. & Upchurch, P. (2004). "Prosauropoda". *[The Dinosauria](/source/The_Dinosauria)*. 2nd ed. Weishampel, D.B.; Dodson, P.; Osmólska, H. (eds.). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. pp. 232–258. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.

1. Broom, R. (1911). ["On the dinosaurs of the Stormberg, South Africa"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/17374#page/359/mode/1up). *Annals of the South African Museum*. **7** (4): 291–308.

1. Galton, P.M. & Cluver, M.A. (1976). ["*Anchisaurus capensis* (Broom) and a revision of the Anchisauridae (Reptilia, Saurischia)"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/126362#page/5/mode/1up). *Annals of the South African Museum*. **69** (6): 121–159.

1. Cooper, M.R. (1981). "The prosauropod dinosaur *Massospondylus carinatus* Owen from Zimbabwe: its biology, mode of life and phylogenetic significance". *Occasional Papers of the National Museums and Monuments of Rhodesia, Series B, Natural Sciences*. **6** (10): 689–840.

1. Young, C.C. (1941). "*Gyposaurus sinensis* Young (sp. nov.) a new Prosauropoda from the Upper Triassic beds at Lufeng, Yunnan". *Bulletin of the Geological Society of China*. **21** (2–4): 205–252. [doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.1941.mp212-4005.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-6724.1941.mp212-4005.x)

1. Galton, P.M. (1976). ["Prosauropod dinosaurs (Reptilia: Saurischia) of North America"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/91700#page/4/mode/1up). *Postilla*. **169**: 1–98.

1. Dong, Z. (1992). *Dinosaurian Faunas of China*. Beijing: China Ocean Press. ISBN 0-387-52084-8.

1. Barrett, P.M.; Upchurch, P.; Zhou, X.D.; Wang, X.L. (2007). "The skull of *Yunnanosaurus huangi* Young, 1942 (Dinosauria: Prosauropoda) from the Lower Lufeng Formation (Lower Jurassic) of Yunnan, China". *Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society*. **150** (2): 319–341. [doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00290.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00290.x)

1. Wang, Y.M.; You, H.L.; Otero, A.; Wang, T. (August 23–26, 2017). [*Taxonomy of*"Gyposaurus" sinesis*Young, 1941 from the Early Jurassic Lufeng Formation of Yunnan Province, southwestern China*](https://web.archive.org/web/20170825060904/http://vertpaleo.org/Annual-Meeting/Annual-Meeting-Home/SVP-2017-program-book-7-20-17a-(1).aspx). Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 77th Annual Meeting. Calgary: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. p. 210. Archived from [the original](http://vertpaleo.org/Annual-Meeting/Annual-Meeting-Home/SVP-2017-program-book-7-20-17a-(1).aspx) on 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2018-05-30.

1. Wang, Ya-Ming; Zhao, Qi; You, Hai-Lu (2024-03-21). ["Reassessment of ' Gyposaurus ' sinensis Young, 1941 (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) from the Early Jurassic Lufeng Basin, Yunnan Province, China"](https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae032/7633229). *Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society*. **203**. [doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae032](https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae032). [ISSN 0024-4082](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0024-4082)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gyposaurus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyposaurus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyposaurus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.