Pronunciation: non-YONG-o-SOR-us
Meaning: Nanyang (city) lizard
Author/s: Xu et al. (2000)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Henan, China
Discovery Chart Position: #475
Nanyangosaurus zhugeii
(Zhuge's Nanyang lizard)Etymology
Nanyangosaurus is derived from "Nanyang" (the city close to its place of discovery) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard).
The species epithet, zhugeii (joo-GUH-ee-ie), honors Zhuge Liang (181-234 AD), aka Kongming; a famous strategist, statesman, and accomplished scholar and inventor who lived in Nanyang for many years.
Discovery
The remains of Nanyangosaurus were discovered in the muddy siltstone of the Sangping Formation at Houzhuang village, Xiaguan Basin, near the city of Nanyang, Neixiang County, Henan Province, east central China, in the spring of 1994.
The holotype (IVPP 11821) is a partial skeleton, including eight incomplete back vertebrae, a sacrum, thirty six tail vertebrae, a hip bone (ischium), and most parts of an arm and a leg.
The site has also yielded thousands of dinosaur eggs.
