Open Paleo

Nodosauridae

Marsh, 1890 Type genus Nodosaurus

Its genera lived 154.8–66.0 million years ago Late Jurassic–Late Cretaceous

Nodosauridae is a family of armored, quadrupedal, herbivorous ankylosaurian dinosaurs known from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous of Asia, Europe, North America, and possibly South America. Like their close relatives the ankylosaurids, nodosaurids were heavily built and clad in rows of bony nodules and spines set into the skin and sheathed in keratin, but they lacked the mace-like bony tail club of the ankylosaurids and instead retained a more flexible tail. Many bore prominent spikes projecting outward from the neck and shoulders, and they carried a narrower, more elongate skull than the broad-headed ankylosaurids. The family is traditionally composed of the spiny, basal polacanthines, together with the panoplosaurine and struthiosaurine lineages of the more derived Nodosaurinae. One exceptionally preserved nodosaurid, the "mummy" of Borealopelta, retains its armor in life position along with keratin and skin traces that record a reddish, countershaded coloration.

Under dispute

The monophyly of Nodosauridae is contested. It is the traditional, broadly used family for non-tail-clubbed ankylosaurs, but Raven and colleagues (2023) recovered it as paraphyletic, with separate panoplosaurid, polacanthid and struthiosaurid radiations, for which they defined the existing names Panoplosauridae, Polacanthidae and Struthiosauridae; the basal polacanthine taxa (Polacanthus, Hylaeosaurus, Gastonia, Hoplitosaurus) variously fall within or outside it across analyses. The traditional Nodosauridae is retained pending broad consensus.

Diagnosis

  1. Absence of a bony tail club
  2. Narrow, anteroposteriorly elongate skull
  3. Prominent laterally projecting cervical, shoulder, and flank spines in many taxa
  4. Closed lateral temporal fenestra concealed by cranial armor

Genera placed directly in Nodosauridae

  • Acantholipan Rivera-Sylva et al., 2018 Santonian (85.7–83.6 Ma)Mexico
  • Acanthopholis Nomen dubium Huxley, 1867 Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)United Kingdomincertae sedis
  • Animantarx Carpenter et al., 1999 Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)United States
  • Anoplosaurus Seeley, 1879 Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)United Kingdom
  • Borealopelta Brown et al., 2017 Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)Canada
  • Denversaurus Bakker, 1988 Maastrichtian (72.2–66.0 Ma)United States
  • Dongyangopelta Chen et al., 2013 Albian–Cenomanian (113.2–93.9 Ma)China
  • Dracopelta Galton, 1980 Tithonian (149.2–143.1 Ma)Portugal
  • Edmontonia Sternberg, 1928 Campanian–Maastrichtian (83.6–66.0 Ma)Canada
  • Europelta Kirkland et al., 2013 Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)Spain
  • Gargoyleosaurus Carpenter et al., 1998 Kimmeridgian–Tithonian (154.8–143.1 Ma)United States
  • Gastonia Kirkland, 1998 Valanginian (137.1–132.6 Ma)United States
  • Glyptodontopelta Ford, 2000 Maastrichtian (72.2–66.0 Ma)United States
  • Hierosaurus Nomen dubium Wieland, 1909 Coniacian–Santonian (89.8–83.6 Ma)United Statesincertae sedis
  • Hoplitosaurus Lucas, 1902 Berriasian–Valanginian (143.1–132.6 Ma)United States
  • Hungarosaurus Ősi, 2005 Santonian (85.7–83.6 Ma)Hungary
  • Hylaeosaurus Mantell, 1833 Valanginian (137.1–132.6 Ma)United Kingdom
  • Invictarx McDonald & Wolfe, 2018 Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)United States
  • Mymoorapelta Kirkland & Carpenter, 1994 Kimmeridgian–Tithonian (154.8–143.1 Ma)United States
  • Niobrarasaurus Carpenter et al., 1995 Coniacian–Santonian (89.8–83.6 Ma)United States
  • Nipponopelta Oyabu et al., 2026 Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)Japan
  • Nodosaurus Marsh, 1889 Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)United States
  • Panoplosaurus Lambe, 1919 Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)Canada
  • Patagopelta Riguetti et al., 2022 Maastrichtian (72.2–66.0 Ma)Argentinaunder dispute
  • Pawpawsaurus Lee, 1996 Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)United States
  • Polacanthus Fox, 1866 Barremian (125.8–121.4 Ma)United Kingdom
  • Propanoplosaurus Stanford et al., 2011 Aptian (121.4–113.2 Ma)United States
  • Sauropelta Ostrom, 1970 Aptian–Cenomanian (121.4–93.9 Ma)United States
  • Sauroplites Bohlin, 1953 Barremian–Aptian (125.8–113.2 Ma)China
  • Silvisaurus Eaton, 1960 Albian–Cenomanian (113.2–93.9 Ma)United States
  • Stegopelta Williston, 1905 Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)United States
  • Struthiosaurus Bunzel, 1870 Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)Austriaincertae sedis
  • Tatankacephalus Parsons & Parsons, 2009 Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)United States
  • Texasetes Coombs, 1995 Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)United States
  • Vectipelta Pond et al., 2023 Barremian (125.8–121.4 Ma)United Kingdom

References

  1. Marsh, O. C. (1890). Additional characters of the Ceratopsidae, with notice of new Cretaceous dinosaurs. American Journal of Science s3-39(233): 418-426. American Journal of Science (AJS). doi:10.2475/ajs.s3-39.233.418

    Named the family Nodosauridae.

    marsh1890a
  2. Madzia, D.; Arbour, V. M.; Boyd, C. A.; Farke, A. A.; Cruzado-Caballero, P.; Evans, D. C. (2021). The phylogenetic nomenclature of ornithischian dinosaurs. PeerJ 9: e12362. doi:10.7717/peerj.12362

    Defined Nodosauridae as the largest clade containing Nodosaurus textilis but not Ankylosaurus magniventris.

    madzia2021a
  3. Rivera-Sylva, H. E.; Frey, E.; Stinnesbeck, W.; Carbot-Chanona, G.; Sánchez-Uribe, I. E.; Guzmán-Gutiérrez, J. R. (2018). Paleodiversity of Late Cretaceous Ankylosauria from Mexico and their phylogenetic significance. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 137(1): 83-93. Pensoft Publishers. doi:10.1007/s13358-018-0153-1

    Described Acantholipan and recovered it within Nodosauridae, in the analysis later used as the family's reference phylogeny.

    rivera-sylva2018a
  4. Raven, T. J.; Barrett, P. M.; Joyce, C. B.; Maidment, S. C. R. (2023). The phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the armoured dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Thyreophora). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 21(1): 2205433. doi:10.1080/14772019.2023.2205433

    Recovered Nodosauridae as paraphyletic and defined Panoplosauridae, Polacanthidae and Struthiosauridae, all existing names, for its separate radiations.

    raven2023a