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An exceptional articulated skeleton of a new basal neornithischian dinosaur, Minimocursor phunoiensis gen. et sp. nov., was discovered in the Late Jurassic Phu Kradung Formation at the Phu Noi locality, Kalasin Province, Thailand, a highly productive non-marine fossil vertebrate locality of the Khorat Plateau. It is one of the best-preserved dinosaurs ever found in Southeast Asia. Minimocursor phunoiensis gen. et sp. nov. shows a combination of both plesiomorphic and apomorphic characters resembling those of Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous small-bodied ornithischians from China: a low subtriangular boss is projected laterally on the surface of the jugal, the brevis shelf of the ilium is visible in lateral view along its entire length, a distinct supraacetabular flange is present on the pubic peduncle of the ilium, the prepubis tip extends beyond the distal end of the preacetabular process of the ilium, and the manus digit formula is ?-3-4-3-2. The phylogenetic analysis shows that this dinosaur is among the most basal neornithischians. This study provides a better understanding of the early evolution and taxonomic diversity of ornithischians in Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ornithischian dinosaurs have been discovered in Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia. These bird-hipped herbivores remain relatively rare by comparison with saurischian dinosaurs. In the Late Jurassic, stegosaurs and basal neornithischians from Thailand showed similarities to Middle-Late Jurassic taxa from China. Ornithischians appeared in the fossil record again during the late Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) of Thailand and Laos. They are represented by non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians and basal ceratopsians. A few specimens have been reported from poorly dated Early Cretaceous rocks of Malaysia. Here, we illustrate the diversity of ornithischian assemblages in Southeast Asia and discuss their palaeobiogeographical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Khok Pha Suam locality in the province of Ubon Ratchathani, northeastern, Thailand, is known as "the last home of Thai dinosaurs", because it belongs to the Lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation (Aptian-Albian) which is currently the youngest Mesozoic vertebrate fossil producing formation in the Khorat Group. Here, we describe a diverse vertebrate assemblage, including hybodonts, ray-finned fishes, turtles, crocodyliforms, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs from the Khok Pha Suam locality. The updated data on the Khok Kruat fauna provides a better understanding of the variety and distribution of Early Cretaceous continental ecosystems, which are useful for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. In addition to consolidating unincorporated data on fauna, this study also provides the palaeontological data necessary to illustrate the palaeoecosystem to the general public, as well as improving the academic value of the Pha Chan-Sam Phan Bok Geopark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]