Turanoceratops - the first ceratopsid dinosaur from Asia

[Tim Williams <tijawi@yahoo.com>]

Speaking of marginocephalians...


Sues, H-D and Averianov, A (2009) _Turanoceratops tardabilis_ - the first 
ceratopsid dinosaur from Asia.  Naturwissenschaften DOI 
10.1007/s00114-009-0518-9.


Abstract: "_Turanoceratops tardabilis from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) 
Bissekty Formation of Dzharakuduk, Uzbekistan, represents the first definite 
ceratopsid dinosaur recorded from Asia.  Reexamination of the original and 
study of newly collected material indicate that _Turanoceratops_ has 
well-developed supraorbital horns and apparently lacks a nasal horn.  
_Turanoceratops_ is more derived than the more or less coeval _Zuniceratops_ 
from the Moreno Hill Formation of New Mexico in the presence of double-rooted 
teeth and of two or three teeth in each vertical dental file."


The phylogenetic analysis nests _Turanoceratops_ inside the Chasmosaurinae 
(Ceratopsinae).  So it is much more derived than _Zuniceratops_, which is 
recovered as the sister taxon to Ceratopsidae.


Cheers

Tim