Koreanosaurus

Koreanosaurus is a genus of orodromine neornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous of what is now South Korea. One species has been described, Koreanosaurus boseongensis.

Discovery

In 2003, three specimens of Koreanosaurus were found in the Late Cretaceous-age Seonso Conglomerate from the southern coast of the Bibong-ri dinosaur egg site, Boseong, Korean Peninsula. These specimens include the holotype KDRC-BB2, a partial upper skeleton lacking the skull, and two additional specimens which contains portions of the pelvic girdle and lower leg. The type species was named after its locality. This taxon was initially named and described in a master's thesis by Dae-Gil Lee in 2008, and was officially published by Min Huh, Dae-Gil Lee, Jung-Kyun Kim, Jong-Deock Lim and Pascal Godefroit in 2011.

Description

Koreanosaurus was a relatively small dinosaur, reaching in body length. Based on its taxonomic position and the existence of small burrows from the Seonso Conglomerate, Koreanosaurus is likely a burrowing dinosaur. Unlike its orodromine relatives, Koreanosaurus is assumed to have been a quadruped.

Classification

Koreanosaurus was considered to be a basal member of the Ornithopoda by the authors, forming a clade with Zephyrosaurus schaffi, Orodromeus makelai and Oryctodromeus cubicularis from which they deduced a burrowing lifestyle. In 2012, Han et al. found it plausible that Koreanosaurus might be a member of Jeholosauridae or closely related to it. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses by researchers including Han et al. consistently classified Koreanosaurus as a member of Thescelosauridae, specifically within the subfamily Orodrominae.