Lukousaurus

Lukou lizard

• Lukou · Chinese (place name) · Lukou (Marco Polo Bridge), a location near Beijing, China
• saurus · Greek · lizard

The name combines 'Lukou', referring to the Lukou Bridge (also known as the Marco Polo Bridge) near Beijing, China, with the Greek 'sauros', meaning lizard. The fossils were found in the Lufeng Formation of Yunnan Province, China, but the name honours the broader Chinese geographical and cultural context of the discovery. The '-saurus' suffix is the standard Greek-derived element used throughout dinosaur nomenclature to indicate a reptile or lizard.

Named by

Young

Year named

1948

Period

Early Jurassic

Stages

Hettangian – Sinemurian

Found in

Lufeng Formation, Yunnan Province, China

Lukousaurus is generally considered a nomen dubium. It was described by C.C. Young in 1948 from fragmentary skull material. Its affinities are uncertain; some researchers have questioned whether it is even a dinosaur at all, with suggestions it may be a crocodyliform or some other archosaur. The material is too incomplete to confidently assess its classification.