Shanxia

"from Shanxi" (Shanxi Province)

• Shanxi · Chinese (place name) · Shanxi Province, China
• -ia · Latin · place or land suffix

Shanxia is named after Shanxi Province in northern China, where the fossils were found. The name uses the province name with a Latin-style "-ia" ending, which is a common way to name a genus after a place. The type species is Shanxia tianzhenensis, named for Tianzhen County.

Named by

Barrett et al.

Year named

1998

Period

Late Cretaceous

Found in

Huiquanpu Formation, Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province, China

Shanxia is an ankylosaurid (armoured dinosaur) known from fragmentary remains. Its relationship to Tianzhenosaurus, named from the same area in the same year, is debated. Some researchers think the two may be the same animal, so its validity is uncertain. Treat the status shown here with some caution.