title: A new hadrosauroid dinosaur from the early late cretaceous of Shanxi Province, China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The origin of hadrosaurid dinosaurs is far from clear, mainly due to the paucity of their early Late Cretaceous close relatives. Compared to numerous Early Cretaceous basal hadrosauroids, which are mainly from Eastern Asia, only six early Late Cretaceous (pre-Campanian) basal hadrosauroids have been found: three from Asia and three from North America.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we describe a new hadrosauroid dinosaur, Yunganglong datongensis gen. et sp. nov., from the early Late Cretaceous Zhumapu Formation of Shanxi Province in northern China. The new taxon is represented by an associated but disarticulated partial adult skeleton including the caudodorsal part of the skull. Cladistic analysis and comparative studies show that Yunganglong represents one of the most basal Late Cretaceous hadrosauroids and is diagnosed by a unique combination of features in its skull and femur.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The discovery of Yunganglong adds another record of basal Hadrosauroidea in the early Late Cretaceous, and helps to elucidate the origin and evolution of Hadrosauridae.
authors.affiliation: Shanxi Museum of Geological and Mineral Science and Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Run-Fu
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-Lu
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Shi-Chao
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Suo-Zhu
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Li-Juan
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Ya-Xian
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002681:China; D025061:Dinosaurs / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification; D005580:Fossils; D012863:Skeleton; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*