Xianshou

Xianshou Temporal range: 160 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Oxfordian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Division:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Subclass:	Theriiformes
Infraclass:	†Allotheria
(unranked):	†Euharamiyida
Genus:	†Xianshou Wang, Meng, Bi, Guan and Sheng, 2014
Species
X. linglong Wang et al. 2014 X. songae Meng, et al. 2014

Xianshou is a genus of small allotherian mammal known from the Oxfordian stage of the Jurassic period, approximately 160 million years ago. Two species, X. linglong and X. songae, are known from fossils of the Tiaojishan Formation in the Liaoning province of China.^[1]

Etymology

The genus name is derived from Chinese xian, meaning "immortal" or "celestial being", and shou, meaning "creature" or "beast". The specific name linglong is derived from both the Chinese word for "exquisite", and from the name of the town Linglongta, where the holotype was discovered. X. songae is named for the collector of the specimen, Rufeng Song.^[1]

Description

X. linglong is believed to have weighed 83 grams (2.9 oz) in life. It can be distinguished from X. songae and Shenshou by the sharper cusps and ridges of its upper molars, and by larger size. X. songae is estimated to have weighed around 40 grams (1.4 oz)^[1]

Euharamiyida	Shenshou Arboroharamiya Eleutherodon Sineleutherus Xianshou Xianshou linglong Xianshou songae

References

1. Bi, Shundong; Wang, Yuanqing; Sheng, Xia; Meng, Jin (10 September 2014). "Three new Jurassic euharamiyidan species reinforce early divergence of mammals". Nature (Nature Publishing Group). doi:10.1038/nature13718. Retrieved 11 September 2014. (subscription required (help)).