[2] In 1993, Messrs. Lu and Li of the Hebei Geological Survey discovered a partial ankylosaurid skeleton at a locality in the Shanxi Province and notified staff of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, who collected the material later that year.

[2] Sullivan noted that the only diagnosable characteristic, the unique shape of the squamosal horn, of Shanxia is known to be variable within a single taxon such as Euoplocephalus.

[3] Thompson et al., 2012 also recovered Shanxia as a valid taxon based on the caudal projection of the squamosal horns, form of cranial armour and haemal arch attachment.

[3] The holotype specimen only preserves one osteoderm, which has been described as oval in outline, sub-triangular in cross-section, excavated ventrally and has a prominent dorsal keel.

[1] Barrett et al., 1998 noted that the holotype specimen preserves a possible synapomorphy with nodosaurids, the hemispherical occipital condyle is oval to subcircular in posterior view and offset from the braincase by a distinct 'neck'.

[1] However, they did state that some caution is needed in the interpretation of the synapomorphy as the shape of the occipital condyle is not entirely clear and may be primitive for Ankylosauria as the feature is also present in Tarchia, Talarurus, and Maleevus.

[4] Huayangosaurus taibaii Stegosaurus armatus Nodosauridae Minmi paravertebra Liaoningosaurus paradoxus Cedarpelta bilbeyhallorum Gobisaurus domoculus Shamosaurus scutatus Zhongyuansaurus luoyangensis Tsagantegia longicranialis Shanxia tianzhenensis "Crichtonsaurus" benxiensis Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus Ankylosaurus magniventris Euoplocephalus tutus Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani Pinacosaurus grangeri Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis Talarurus plicatospineus Tianzhenosaurus youngi Saichania chulsanensis Tarchia gigantea The holotype specimen of Shanxia was recovered from the Huiquanpu Formation, which possibly dates to the Cenomanian or Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous.