Biology:Neornithischia

Short description: Extinct clade of dinosaurs

Neornithischians Temporal range: Middle Jurassic–Late Cretaceous, 170–66 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N (possible Early Jurassic record)
Hypsilophodon skeletal mount at the Brussels Science Institute
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	†Ornithischia
Clade:	†Genasauria
Clade:	†Neornithischia Cooper, 1985
Subgroups
†Agilisaurus †Hexinlusaurus †Hypsilophodon †Kulindadromeus †Lesothosaurus? †Minimocursor †Nanosaurus †Phyllodon †Sanxiasaurus †Xiaosaurus †Yandusaurus †Jeholosauridae †Thescelosauridae †Cerapoda

Neornithischia ("new ornithischians") is a clade of the dinosaur order Ornithischia. It is the sister group of the Thyreophora within the clade Genasauria. Neornithischians are united by having a thicker layer of asymmetrical enamel on the inside of their lower teeth. The teeth wore unevenly with chewing and developed sharp ridges that allowed neornithischians to break down tougher plant food than other dinosaurs. Neornithischians include a variety of basal forms historically known as "hypsilophodonts", including the Parksosauridae; in addition, there are derived forms classified in the groups Marginocephalia and Ornithopoda. The former includes clades Pachycephalosauria and Ceratopsia, while the latter typically includes Hypsilophodon and the more derived Iguanodontia.

Classification

Neornithischia was first named by Cooper in 1985 and defined as "all genasaurians more closely related to Parasaurolophus walkeri than to Ankylosaurus magniventris or Stegosaurus stenops". In 2021, Neornithischia was given a formal definition under the PhyloCode: "The largest clade containing Iguanodon bernissartensis and Triceratops horridus but not Ankylosaurus magniventris and Stegosaurus stenops."

A 2017 study by Matthew G. Baron, David B. Norman, and Paul M. Barrett recovered the Early Jurassic taxon Lesothosaurus diagnosticus from Southern Africa as the most basal known member of Neornithischia – a position previously held by Stormbergia dangershoeki (a taxon considered by the authors to be an adult form of Lesothosaurus and therefore a junior subjective synonym). However, Baron et al. go on to state that this result is only poorly supported and that future studies will be needed in order to better resolve the base of the ornithischian tree.

The below cladogram follows an analysis by Clint A. Boyd published in 2015 on the relationships of neornithischians:

Ornithischia

Pisanosaurus mertii       Heterodontosauridae   Genasauria   Thyreophora   Neornithischia   Stormbergia dangershoeki       Agilisaurus louderbacki       Hexinlusaurus multidens     Yandusaurus hongheensis     Leaellynasaura amicagraphica     Jeholosauridae   Yueosaurus tiantaiensis     Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis         Othnielosaurus consors     Cerapoda   Marginocephalia     Ornithopoda     Parksosauridae Orodrominae     Oryctodromeus cubicularis     Koreanosaurus boseongensis         Zephyrosaurus schaffi       Kaiparowits ornithopod     Orodromeus makelai         Thescelosaurinae     Changchunsaurus parvus     Haya griva         Parksosaurus warreni         Thescelosaurus neglectus     Thescelosaurus assiniboiensis     Thescelosaurus garbanii     Elasmaria   Macrogryphosaurus gondwanicus     Notohypsilophodon comodorensis     Talenkauen santacrucensis

The cladogram below results from analysis by Herne et al., 2019. Parksosaurus and Elasmaria were recovered within Ornithopoda, among other revised relationships.

Ornithischia

Heterodontosauridae       Eocursor       Thyreophora   Neornithischia   Lesothosaurus       Agilisaurus         Hexinlusaurus     Yandusaurus           Nanosaurus     Jeholosauridae   Haya       Jeholosaurus     Changchunsaurus       Thescelosauridae     Orodromeus     Koreanosaurus         Zephyrosaurus       Yueosaurus     Thescelosaurus             Cerapoda   Marginocephalia   Ornithopoda   Parksosaurus     Elasmaria   Talenkauen         Macrogryphosaurus     Gasparinisaura         Galleonosaurus     Leaellynasaura     Anabisetia     Diluvicursor         Clypeodonta   Hypsilophodon   Iguanodontia   Rhabdodontidae       Muttaburrasaurus       Tenontosaurus     Dryomorpha

References

• Butler, R.J. (2005). "The 'fabrosaurid' ornithischian dinosaurs of the Upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic) of South Africa and Lesotho". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 145 (2): 175-18. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00182.x. 
• Sereno, P.C. (1986). "Phylogeny of the bird-hipped dinosaurs (order Ornithischia)". National Geographic Research 2 (2): 234–56. 

External links

• Encyclopædia Britannica
• Palæos

Wikidata ☰ Q379167 entry