''Hypselospinus'' 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 ...

iguanodontia Iguanodontia (the iguanodonts) is a clade of herbivorous dinosaurs that lived from the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. Some members include ''Camptosaurus'', ''Dryosaurus'', ''Iguanodon'', ''Tenontosaurus'', and the hadrosaurids or "duck-bi ...

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 ...

which was first described as a species of ''

Iguanodon ''Iguanodon'' ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species have been classified in the genus ''Iguanodon'', dating from the late Jurassic Period to the early Cretaceous Period of Asia, Eu ...

'' (''I. fittoni'') by

Richard Lydekker Richard Lydekker (; 25 July 1849 – 16 April 1915) was an English naturalist, geologist and writer of numerous books on natural history. Biography Richard Lydekker was born at Tavistock Square in London. His father was Gerard Wolfe Lydekker, ...

in 1889, the specific name honouring

William Henry Fitton William Henry Fitton (24 January 178013 May 1861) was an Irish physician and amateur geologist. Biography Fitton was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College in that city. He gained the senior scholarship in 1798, and graduated in the fol ...

History

In May 2010 the fossils comprising ''Hypselospinus'' were by David Norman reclassified as a separate genus, among them the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

BMNH R1635, consisting of a left ilium, a sacrum, tail vertebrae and teeth. The generic name is derived from Greek ''hypselos'', "high" and

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 ...

''spina'', "thorn", in reference to the high vertebral spines. Later that same year, a second group of scientists independently re-classified ''I. fittoni'' into a new genus they named ''Wadhurstia'',Carpenter, K. and Ishida, Y. (2010).
Early and “Middle” Cretaceous Iguanodonts in Time and Space.
''

Journal of Iberian Geology ''Journal of Iberian Geology'' (formerly ''Cuadernos de Geología Ibérica'') is a triannual peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. The journal covers the field of geology and related earth sciences ...

'', 36 (2): 145-164. which thus is 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 ''Hypselospinus''. ''Hypselospinus'' lived during the lower

Valanginian In the geologic timescale, the Valanginian is an age or stage of the Early or Lower Cretaceous. It spans between 139.8 ± 3.0 Ma and 132.9 ± 2.0 Ma (million years ago). The Valanginian Stage succeeds the Berriasian Stage of the Lower Cretaceou ...

stage, around 140 million years ago. A contemporary of ''

Barilium ''Barilium'' is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur which was first described as a species of ''Iguanodon'' (''I. dawsoni'') by Richard Lydekker in 1888, the specific epithet honouring the discoverer Charles Dawson. In 2010 it was reclassified ...

'' (also once thought to be a species of ''Iguanodon''), ''Hypselospinus'' was a lightly built iguanodontian estimated at 6 metres (19.7 ft) long. The species ''Iguanodon fittoni'' was described from remains discovered in 1886 alongside an unnamed

ichthyosaur Ichthyosaurs (Ancient Greek for "fish lizard" – and ) are large extinct marine reptiles. Ichthyosaurs belong to the order known as Ichthyosauria or Ichthyopterygia ('fish flippers' – a designation introduced by Sir Richard Owen in 1842, altho ...

in the lower Valanginian-age

Lower Cretaceous Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...

Wadhurst Clay The Wadhurst Clay Formation is a geological unit which forms part of the Wealden Group and the middle part of the now unofficial Hastings Beds. These geological units make up the core of the geology of the High Weald in the English counties of West ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Remains from Spain may also pertain to it. Norman (2004) wrote that three partial skeletons are known for it, but this is an error. ''Hypselospinus'' is separated from ''Barilium'' on the basis of vertebral and pelvic characters, size, and build. For example, ''Barilium'' was more robust than ''Hypselospinus'', with large ''

Camptosaurus ''Camptosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of plant-eating, beaked ornithischian dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic period of western North America and possibly also Europe. The name means 'flexible lizard' ( Greek (') meaning 'bent' and (') meaning 'li ...

''-like

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

e featuring short

neural spine The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic i ...

s, whereas ''Hypselospinus'' is known for its "long, narrow, and steeply inclined neural spines".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1706548 Iguanodonts Valanginian life Early Cretaceous dinosaurs of Europe Cretaceous England Fossils of England Fossil taxa described in 2010 Taxa named by David B. Norman Ornithischian genera