Genus: Gandititan HAN, YANG, LOU, SULLIVAN, XU, QIU, LIU, YU, WU, KE, XU, HU & LU, 2024
Etymology:
'Gan" refers to the fact that the fossil is from Ganzhou City, while 'di' is the Chinese pinyin word for the Earth and is also the first syllable of 'dizhi', meaning geology. Gandi is thus an abbreviated form used to honour 'geological owrk in Ganzhou City', and Greek,
titan, an offspring of Uranus and Gaea.
Species: cavocaudatus HAN, YANG, LOU, SULLIVAN, XU, QIU, LIU, YU, WU, KE, XU, HU & LU, 2024
Etymology: Latin, cavum, "cavity" and Latin, cauda, "tail"; The intended meaning, 'cavity tailed', refers to the complicated pattern of pleurocoels and neural arch laminae seen in the anterior caudal vertebrae. We also note the incidental similarity between the first syllable of Gandititan and the Old Norse word 'gandr', referring to magic or a magical spirit, which is perhaps appropriate given the immense size and fantastical appearance of titanosaurian sauropod dionsa.
Holotype: JXGM-F-V1
Locality: 100 m north of Shiziyan road, Datangkeng, Ganxian District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, China.
Horizon: Zhoutian Formaiton.
Biostratigraphy:
Age: Cenomanian-Turonian Stage, Late Gallic Subepoch, Early Gulf Epoch, Middle Cretaceous.
Material: 6 articulated cervicals and a separate series of 6 articuladed sacrals and 17 anterior to middle caudals, together with two partial articulated dorsal vertebrae, some ribs, adn part of the right pelvis.