''Aublysodon'' (“backwards-flowing 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 ...
of
carnivorous
A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
s known only from the
Judith River Formation
The Judith River Formation is a fossil-bearing geologic formation in Montana, and is part of the Judith River Group. It dates to the Late Cretaceous, between 79 and 75.3 million years ago, corresponding to the "Judithian" land vertebrate age. It ...
in
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
, which has been dated to the late
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campanian s ...
age of the late
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...
period (about 75 million years ago). The only currently recognized species, ''Aublysodon mirandus'', was named by paleontologist
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 1868. It is now considered
dubious
Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, unable to be certain of any of them.
Doubt on an emotional level is indecision between belief and disbelief. It may involve uncertainty, ...
, because the
type specimen
In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...
consists only of an isolated
premaxillary
The premaxilla (or praemaxilla) is one of a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the upper jaw of many animals, usually, but not always, bearing teeth. In humans, they are fused with the maxilla. The "premaxilla" of therian mammal has ...
(front) tooth. Although this specimen is now lost, similar teeth have been found in many
US states, western
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
.
These teeth almost certainly belong to juvenile tyrannosaurine
tyrannosaurid
Tyrannosauridae (or tyrannosaurids, meaning "tyrant lizards") is a family of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies containing up to thirteen genera, including the eponymous ''Tyrannosaurus''. The exact number of genera ...
s, but most have not been identified to species level. However, it is likely that the type tooth (and therefore the name ''Aublysodon mirandus'' itself) belongs to one of the species in the genus ''
Daspletosaurus
''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 79.5 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three species ...
'', which was present in contemporary formations, and which matches specific details of the original tooth.
[ The ]synapomorphies
In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to have ...
alleged to distinguish the Aublysodontinae, especially lack of serrations on premaxillary teeth could have been caused by tooth wear in life, postmortem
An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...
abrasion, or digestion
Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food molecules into small water-soluble food molecules so that they can be absorbed into the watery blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intest ...
. Most other "aublysodontine"-type teeth may be from ontogenetic
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the st ...
stages or sexual morph
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The conditio ...
s of other tyrannosaurids.
Apart from 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 ...
''Aublysodon mirandus'' over the years several other species have been named. These are now all considered either dubious or identical to other species or as having no close connection to ''A. mirandus''.
History
In the mid-to-late 19th century many dinosaur taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
were named for isolated teeth; such genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
include ''Trachodon
''Trachodon'' (meaning "rough tooth") is a dubious genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur based on teeth from the Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation of Montana, U.S.Leidy, J. (1856). "Notice of remains of extinct reptiles and fishes, d ...
'', ''Palaeoscincus
''Palaeoscincus'' (meaning "ancient skink" from the Greek παλαιός and σκίγγος) is a dubious genus of ankylosaurian dinosaur based on teeth from the mid-late Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation of Montana. Like se ...
'', and ''Troodon
''Troodon'' ( ; ''Troödon'' in older sources) is a wastebasket taxon and a dubious genus of relatively small, bird-like dinosaurs known definitively from the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period (about 77 mya). It includes at least ...
''. Even before the badlands
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...
of North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
started revealing the bones of ''Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
'', teeth
A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...
turning up in many localities in the Western United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
revealed the presence of large predatory dinosaurs.
In 1856 Joseph Leidy had named fourteen teeth collected by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (September 7, 1829 – December 22, 1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union Ar ...
in 1854 and 1855 from the Judith River
The Judith River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 124 mi (200 km) long, running through central Montana in the United States. It rises in the Little Belt Mountains and flows northeast past Utica and Hobson. It is ...
Badlands of Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
as the species ''Deinodon
''Deinodon'' (Greek for "terrible tooth") is a dubious tyrannosaurid dinosaur genus containing a single species, ''Deinodon horridus''. ''D. horridus'' is known only from a set of teeth found in the Late Cretaceous Judith River Formation of Monta ...
horridus''. In 1866 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 ...
chose three nonserrated teeth from the original syntype
In biological nomenclature, a syntype is any one of two or more biological types that is listed in a description of a taxon where no holotype was designated. Precise definitions of this and related terms for types have been established as part of ...
series of fourteen as the lectotype
In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...
s of ''Deinodon horridus''.
Leidy named these same three teeth ''Aublysodon mirandus'' in 1868. The meaning of the generic name is uncertain because Leidy himself gave no etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
or explanation of the intended meaning. It is possible the genus name is derived from Greek αὖ, ''au'', "again", "backwards", "contrariwise", βλύζω, ''blyzo'', "to spout", "to flow" and ὀδών, ''odon'', "tooth". The specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
means "wonderful" or "strange" in Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
.
Because the name ''Aublysodon mirandus'' was based on the same type, it was at first a junior objective synonym
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...
of ''Deinodon horridus'', which latter name thus had priority. Cope in 1868 mistakenly thought the name ''Deinodon'' was preoccupied by the snake '' Dinodon'' and renamed ''Deinodon horridus'' into an ''Aublysodon horridus''. If ''Deinodon'' really had been preoccupied, this would have made ''Aublysodon'' a valid genus. In 1899 Oliver Perry Hay
Oliver Perry Hay (May 22, 1846 – November 2, 1930) was an American herpetologist, ichthyologist, and paleontologist.
Hay was born in Jefferson County, Indiana, to Robert and Margaret Hay. In 1870, Hay graduated with a bachelor of arts from Eu ...
pointed out Cope's mistake; ''Aublysodon horridus'' is a junior objective synonym of ''Deinodon horridus'', just as ''Aublysodon mirandus'' had been. However, in 1892 ''Aublysodon'' became an independent genus when 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 ...
further limited its type by choosing a single small nonserrated premaxillary tooth with a D-shaped cross-section, specimen ANSP 9535, as the lectotype of ''Aublysodon mirandus''.[Marsh, O.C., 1892, "Notes on Mesozoic vertebrate fossils", ''American Journal of Science'', 44: 170-176] The two other teeth, ANSP 9533 and ANSP 9534, remained as the lectotypes of ''Deinodon horridus''. The names were thus separated.
The tooth-based taxon ''Aublysodon'' was a mystery for a long time since no further skeletal elements were found that could be assigned with certainty to the teeth. In the early twentieth century it was assumed by some workers that it represented a member of the Ornithomimidae
Ornithomimidae (meaning "bird-mimics") is a family of theropod dinosaurs which bore a superficial resemblance to modern ostriches. Ornithomimids were fast, omnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs known mainly from the Late Cretaceous Period of Lauras ...
when it was not yet known this group was toothless. Lawrence Morris Lambe
Lawrence Morris Lambe (August 27, 1863 – March 12, 1919) was a Canadian geologist, palaeontologist, and ecologist from the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC).
His published work, describing the diverse and plentiful dinosaur discoveries from th ...
in 1902 referred the tooth to ''Struthiomimus
''Struthiomimus'' (meaning "ostrich mimic", from the Ancient Greek, Greek στρούθειος/''stroutheios'' meaning "of the ostrich" and μῖμος/''mimos'' meaning "mimic" or "imitator") is a genus of Ornithomimidae, ornithomimid dinosaurs ...
''; Hay in 1930 renamed ''A. mirandus'' into ''Ornithomimus mirandus'', forgetting in that case ''Aublysodon'' would have priority.
Today it is known that similar teeth are found in juvenile specimens of ''Daspletosaurus
''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 79.5 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three species ...
'', and it is likely that teeth referred to ''Aublysodon'' came from that genus.[Currie, P. (2005). "Theropods, including birds." Pp. 367-397 in Currie and Koppelhus (eds)., ''Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.] In October 2000, the type specimen of ''Aublysodon'' went missing when being sent by registered mail
Registered mail is a mail service offered by postal services in many countries which allows the sender proof of mailing via a mailing receipt and, upon request, electronic verification that an article was delivered or that a delivery attempt was ...
from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natura ...
to the Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
. Because of the presence of ''Aublysodon''-type teeth in other juvenile tyrannosaurines than ''Daspletosaurus'', such as those of ''Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
'', remains of which can also be found in Montana, Thomas Carr no longer considered the name to represent a real biological taxon, but to be a ''nomen dubium
In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application.
Zoology
In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...
''.[
]
Referred species
Apart from ''Aublysodon mirandus'' and ''A. horridus'' several other species have been named within the genus. In 1876 Cope created an '' Aublysodon lateralis'', based on specimen AMNH 3956, a tooth of a juvenile tyrannosaur which has been synonymized with ''Deinodon horridus
''Deinodon'' (Greek for "terrible tooth") is a dubious tyrannosaurid dinosaur genus containing a single species, ''Deinodon horridus''. ''D. horridus'' is known only from a set of teeth found in the Late Cretaceous Judith River Formation of Monta ...
''.[Sahni, A. (1972). "The vertebrate fauna of the Judith River Formation, Montana." ''Bulletin of the AMNH'', 147(6).] In 1892 Marsh named two more species: ''Aublysodon amplus'' and ''Aublysodon cristatus'', respectively based on teeth YPM 296 and YPM 297; the latter has also been placed in the genus ''Deinodon''.[ They may represent teeth from juvenile individuals of ''T. rex'' as they were found in the ]Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian () is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the latest age (uppermost stage) of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interval from ...
Lance Formation
The Lance (Creek) Formation is a division of Late Cretaceous (dating to about 69 - 66 Ma) rocks in the western United States. Named after Lance Creek, Wyoming, the microvertebrate fossils and dinosaurs represent important components of the late ...
.[Carr and Williamson (2004).] In 1903 John Bell Hatcher
John Bell Hatcher (October 11, 1861 – July 3, 1904) was an American paleontologist and fossil hunter known as the "king of collectors" and best known for discovering ''Torosaurus'' and ''Triceratops'', two genera of dinosaurs described by Ot ...
renamed ''Laelaps The name Laelaps is a name attributed to the following:
* Laelaps (mythology) Laelaps ( grc-gre, Λαῖλαψ, ''gen''.: means "hurricane") (Lelaps, Lalaps, Lailaps) was a Greek mythological dog that never failed to catch what it was hunting.
...
explanatus'' Cope 1876 into an ''Aublysodon explanatus''. This probably represents a tooth of ''Saurornitholestes
''Saurornitholestes'' ("lizard-bird thief") is a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of Canada (Alberta) and the United States (Montana, New Mexico, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina).
Two spec ...
''. In 1932 Friedrich von Huene
Friedrich von Huene, born Friedrich Richard von Hoinigen, (March 22, 1875 – April 4, 1969) was a German paleontologist who renamed more dinosaurs in the early 20th century than anyone else in Europe. He also made key contributions about v ...
classified a fragmentary skeleton named '' Ornithomimus grandis'' by Marsh in 1890 as ''Aublysodon grandis'', but most later researchers have considered this a synonym of the Campanian tyrannosaur ''Deinodon horridus
''Deinodon'' (Greek for "terrible tooth") is a dubious tyrannosaurid dinosaur genus containing a single species, ''Deinodon horridus''. ''D. horridus'' is known only from a set of teeth found in the Late Cretaceous Judith River Formation of Monta ...
''. In 1967 Alan Jack Charig
Alan Jack Charig (1 July 1927 – 15 July 1997) was an English palaeontologist and writer who popularised his subject on television and in books at the start of the wave of interest in dinosaurs in the 1970s.
Charig was, though, first and fo ...
named three species: ''Aublysodon lancinator'', ''Aublysodon novojilovi'' and ''Aublysodon lancensis''; these had originally been species of ''Gorgosaurus
''Gorgosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian), between about 76.6 and 75.1 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found in the Can ...
''. The first two are today seen as juvenile specimens of ''Tarbosaurus
''Tarbosaurus'' ( ; meaning "alarming lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that flourished in Asia about 70 million years ago, at the end of the Late Cretaceous Period, considered to contain a single known species, ''Tarbosaurus bataa ...
''; the last represents either a juvenile individual of ''Tyrannosaurus'' or a separate genus ''Nanotyrannus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
''.
The first skeletal material referred to an original ''Aublysodon'' species was a partial skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
unearthed in Jordan, Montana
Jordan is a town in and the county seat of Garfield County, Montana, United States. The population was 356 at the 2020 census. It is Garfield County's only incorporated community.
History
Jordan was settled in 1896. The founder, Arthur Jordan, ...
["Aublysodon." Dodson, et al. Page 128.] in 1966 and described by Ralph Molnar
Ralph E. Molnar is a paleontologist who had been Curator of Mammals at the Queensland Museum and more recently associated with the Museum of Northern Arizona. He is also a research associate at the Texas natural Science Centre. He co-authored descr ...
in 1977/1978. The skull, specimen LACM 28741 at forty-five centimetres the length of an average human arm, bore pointed teeth attached to a long narrow snout. First thought to be a juvenile ''Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
'', then interpreted as a large dromaeosaurid, this "Jordan theropod" was given the name ''Aublysodon molnaris'' by Gregory S. Paul
Gregory Scott Paul (born December 24, 1954) is an American freelance researcher, author and illustrator who works in paleontology, and more recently has examined sociology and theology. He is best known for his work and research on theropod dino ...
in 1988;[Paul, G.S., 1988, ''Predatory Dinosaurs of the World''. Simon & Schuster, New York, pp 464] in 1990 the name was by Paul emended to ''Aublysodon molnari'', applying the correct genitive
In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...
. It was made a separate genus ''Stygivenator'' by George Olshevsky in 1995, but was later, in 2004, reinterpreted to be a juvenile ''Tyrannosaurus rex
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
'' by Thomas Carr and Tom Williamson.[ Another partial skeleton from ]New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, specimen OMNH 10131, was in 1990 considered to represent ''Aublysodon'', but later research by Thomas Carr and Tom Williamson first referred it to ''Daspletosaurus
''Daspletosaurus'' ( ; meaning "frightful lizard") is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur that lived in Laramidia between about 79.5 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. The genus ''Daspletosaurus'' contains three species ...
''[ and ultimately to '']Bistahieversor
''Bistahieversor'' (meaning "Bistahi destroyer"), also known as the "Bisti Beast", is a genus of eutyrannosaurian tyrannosauroid dinosaur; the genus contains only a single known species, ''B. sealeyi'', described in 2010, from the Late Cretaceo ...
''. In 1988 Paul also created another species when renaming ''Shanshanosaurus huoyanshanensis'' Dong 1977 into ''Aublysodon huoyanshanensis''.[ It probably represents a ''Tarbosaurus'' specimen.
]
Classification
Cope
The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colours, litu ...
assigned ''Aublysodon'' to the Goniopoda
Theropoda (; ), whose members are known as theropods, is a dinosaur clade that is characterized by hollow bones and three toes and claws on each limb. Theropods are generally classed as a group of saurischian dinosaurs. They were ancestrally ca ...
in 1870, a group roughly equivalent to the modern Theropoda
Theropoda (; ), whose members are known as theropods, is a dinosaur clade that is characterized by hollow bones and three toes and claws on each limb. Theropods are generally classed as a group of saurischian dinosaurs. They were ancestrally ca ...
. Marsh however, in 1892 was misled by the small size of the teeth, their D-shaped cross-section and their lack of serrations into considering ''Aublysodon'' a mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
exceptionally large for the Cretaceous.[ By the early twentieth century it was again generally understood that ''Aublysodon'' was a theropod reptile; later it would be typically assigned to the ]Deinodontidae
Tyrannosauridae (or tyrannosaurids, meaning "tyrant lizards") is a family (biology), family of coelurosaurian Theropoda, theropod dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies containing up to thirteen genus, genera, including the eponymous ''Tyrannos ...
, a group today called the Tyrannosauridae
Tyrannosauridae (or tyrannosaurids, meaning "tyrant lizards") is a family of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that comprises two subfamilies containing up to thirteen genera, including the eponymous ''Tyrannosaurus''. The exact number of genera ...
.
''Aublysodon'' was by Paul in 1988 thought to belong to a unique subfamily of tyrannosaurids called the Aublysodontinae,[ a name already coined, together with an Aublysodontidae, by ]Franz Nopcsa Franz may refer to:
People
* Franz (given name)
* Franz (surname)
Places
* Franz (crater), a lunar crater
* Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada
* Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...
in 1928.[Nopcsa, F., 1928, "The genera of reptiles", ''Palaeobiologica'' 1: 163-188] This was a concept which afterwards enjoyed some popularity: Thomas Holtz
Thomas Richard Holtz Jr. (born September 13, 1965) is an American vertebrate palaeontologist, author, and principal lecturer at the University of Maryland's Department of Geology. He has published extensively on the phylogeny, morphology, ecomorp ...
proposed a stem clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
definition of the Aublysodontinae in 2001, "''Aublysodon'' and all taxa sharing a more recent common ancestor
In biology and genetic genealogy, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), also known as the last common ancestor (LCA) or concestor, of a set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all the organisms of the set are descended. The ...
with it than with ''Tyrannosaurus''".
''Aublysodon'' was for a time also used in definitions of higher-level taxa. Holtz proposed a node clade definition of the Tyrannosauridae in 2001 as "all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of ''Tyrannosaurus'' and ''Aublysodon''", using ''Aublysodon'' as an anchor taxon. Paul Sereno has also used ''Aublysodon'' as an anchor taxon for the Tyrannosauridae, although his definition was problematic for other reasons. These concepts have now been redefined without the dubious name.
Because ''Aublysodon'' is today considered a ''nomen dubium'' based on material probably belonging to ''Daspletosaurus'', its affiliations are likely tyrannosaurid and the terms Aublysodontinae and Aublysodontidae have become irrelevant.
See also
* Timeline of tyrannosaur research
This timeline of tyrannosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the tyrannosaurs, a group of predatory Theropoda, theropod dinosaurs that began as small, long-armed bird-like creatures with ela ...
Footnotes
References
*
* Dodson, Peter & Britt, Brooks & Carpenter, Kenneth & Forster, Catherine A. & Gillette, David D. & Norell, Mark A. & Olshevsky, George & Parrish, J. Michael & Weishampel, David B. ''The Age of Dinosaurs''. Publications International, LTD. p. 128. .
* Holtz, TR, Jr. (2001), "The phylogeny and taxonomy of the Tyrannosauridae" in: K Carpenter & D Tanke ds. ''Mesozoic Vertebrate Life''. Indiana Univ. Press, pp. 64–83.
* Jacobsen, A.R. 2001. "Tooth-marked small theropod bone: An extremely rare trace". p. 58-63 In: ''Mesozoic Vertebrate Life''. Ed.s Tanke, D. H., Carpenter, K., Skrepnick, M. W. Indiana University Press.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q132625
Late Cretaceous dinosaurs of North America
Nomina dubia
Tyrannosaurids
Fossil taxa described in 1868
Taxa named by Joseph Leidy
Paleontology in Montana
Campanian genus first appearances
Campanian genus extinctions