Ningyuansaurus

Ningyuan lizard

• Ningyuan · Chinese (place name) · Ningyuan, a historical name for the area in Liaoning, China, linked to where the fossil was found
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines a Chinese place name, Ningyuan, with the Greek word for lizard, so it means "Ningyuan lizard". It refers to the area in Liaoning Province, northeastern China, where the only known specimen was found. The species name wangi honours a person named Wang.

Named by

Ji et al.

Year named

2012

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Aptian

Found in

Yixian Formation, Liaoning, China

A small feathered theropod, usually regarded as a basal oviraptorosaur. Known from a single specimen (type species N. wangi). The exact etymology of "Ningyuan" and the authorship list are given from memory and should be checked against the original description.