''Belodon'' (meaning "arrow tooth") is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

phytosaur Phytosaurs (Φυτόσαυροι in greek) are an extinct group of large, mostly semiaquatic Late Triassic archosauriform reptiles. Phytosaurs belong to the order Phytosauria. Phytosauria and Phytosauridae are often considered to be equivalent ...

, a crocodile-like reptile that lived during the

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...

. Its fossils have been found in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and elsewhere. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

, ''Belodon plieningeri'', was named by prolific German

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer (3 September 1801 – 2 April 1869), known as Hermann von Meyer, was a German palaeontologist. He was awarded the 1858 Wollaston medal by the Geological Society of London. Life He was born at Frankfurt am Ma ...

in 1844. Many other species were also named, among them ''Belodon buceros'' (named by

Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested ...

in 1881),Cope, E.D. (1881). "''Belodon'' in New Mexico". ''American Naturalist'' 15: 922-923. ''Belodon kapfii'' (von Meyer, 1861), ''Belodon lepturus'' (Cope, 1870),Cope, E.D. (1870). "Reptilia of the Triassic Formation of the United States". ''American Naturalist'' 4: 562-563. ''Belodon priscus'' (originally described as ''Compsosaurus priscus'' by

Joseph Leidy Joseph Mellick Leidy (September 9, 1823 – April 30, 1891) was an American paleontologist, parasitologist and anatomist. Leidy was professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania, later was a professor of natural history at Swarthmore ...

in 1856),Leidy, J. (1856). "Notice of some remains of extinct vertebrated animals". ''Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 163-165. ''Belodon scolopax'' (Cope, 1881), and ''Belodon validus'' (

Othniel Charles Marsh Othniel Charles Marsh (October 29, 1831 – March 18, 1899) was an American professor of Paleontology in Yale College and President of the National Academy of Sciences. He was one of the preeminent scientists in the field of paleontology. Among h ...

, 1893).Marsh, O.C. (1893). "Restoration of ''Anchisaurus''". ''The American Journal of Science''. Series 3 45: 169-170. Some paleontologists of the late 19th and early 20th century believed ''Belodon'' was synonymous with ''

Phytosaurus ''Phytosaurus'' (meaning "plant lizard") is a nomen dubium, dubious genus of Extinction, extinct Parasuchidae, parasuchid phytosaur found in an outcrop of the Keuper (likely the Exter Formation) in Germany. ''Phytosaurus'' was the first phytosaur ...

'' or ''

Machaeroprosopus ''Machaeroprosopus'' is an extinct genus of mystriosuchin leptosuchomorph phytosaur from the Late Triassic of the southwestern United States. ''M. validus'', once thought to be the type species of ''Machaeroprosopus'', was named in 1916 on the b ...

''.

References

External links

Phytosauria Translation and Pronunciation Guide
from Dinosauria.com Phytosaurs Prehistoric reptile genera Late Triassic reptiles of Europe Late Triassic reptiles of North America Fossil taxa described in 1844 Taxa named by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer {{triassic-reptile-stub