The name "Bashunosaurus kaijiangensis" first appeared in Ouyang's description of Abrosaurus in 1989,[3] although without a description or diagnosis, making it a nomen nudum (i.e. a nickname that is unavailable for use as an actual scientific name). Li et al. (1999), however, attribute the naming to "Kuang, 1996", still considering it a nomen nudum.[4] Although it was finally formally named by Kuang in 2004,[2] George Olshevsky's influential online Dinosaur Genera List continued to list it as a nomen nudum and possible synonym of Datousaurus.[5] It was largely ignored in modern literature until Dai et al.'s description of Yuzhoulong in 2022, where it is discussed.[6]
Description
As a sauropod, Bashunosaurus would have been a large quadrupedal herbivore with a robust body. Kuang (2004) estimated its length as about 10–12 m (32.8–39.4 ft).[2]
Classification
The precise classification of Bashunosaurus is unknown, with different authors proposing different ideas. Li et al. (1999) consider it a camarasaurid,[4] while Kuang (2004) gives a more precise position in the Camarasaurinae, more derived than Abrosaurus but more basal than Camarasaurus.[2] Molina-Perez and Larramendi (2020) list it as a primitive neosauropod similar to Bellusaurus, Daanosaurus, Dashanpusaurus and Klamelisaurus, although they comment that it is also "similar to Abrosaurus and Datousaurus".[7] Dai et al. (2022) compare the taxon to Yuzhoulong, noting the fact it was described as a macronarian, although they caution that a reappraisal is needed to confirm this in a cladistic context.[6][8]
^ abLi K.; Zhang, Y.; Cai K. (1999). "The Characteristics of the Composition of the Trace Elements in Jurassic Dinosaur Bones and Red Beds in Sichuan Basin". Geological Publishing House. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Molina-Perez & Larramendi (2020). Dinosaur Facts and Figures: The Sauropods and Other Sauropodomorphs. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 254. Bibcode:2020dffs.book.....M.
^Ren XX, Jiang S, Wang XR, Peng GZ, Ye Y, Jia L, You HL (2022). "Re-examination of Dashanpusaurus dongi (Sauropoda: Macronaria) supports an early Middle Jurassic global distribution of neosauropod dinosaurs". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 610. 111318. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2022.111318.
