Aepisaurus
From Greek 'aipeinos' meaning 'lofty' or 'high' and 'sauros' meaning 'lizard', meaning 'lofty lizard'.
Aepisaurus was a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Grès vert of Département du Vaucluse, France, around 100.5 million years ago. It is an obscure genus from an unknown family, represented by a single humerus, now partly lost. Despite its lack of popularity, or perhaps because of it, it has been misspelled several ways in the scientific literature, with multiple dates given to the year of description as well.
Diagnosis
- Humerus approaching the size of an elephant humerus in a reptile, with total length 0.090 m, width at tuberosities 0.33 m, width at middle 0.15 m, width at condyles 0.25 m.
- Humerus form and structure indicating a gigantic reptile with analogy to Monitors and Iguanas, but distinct from Wealden saurians described by Mantell.
- Humerus shape closer to Iguanas and Monitors than to any other known group, but with some differences from both.
Species
Aepisaurus elephantinus Gervais, 1852
Type species
From Latin 'elephantinus' meaning 'elephant-like', likely referring to the large size of the humerus on which the genus is based.
- Holotype
- BED01 , Université de Montpellier
- Material
- Humerus from green sandstones of Mont Ventoux, Vaucluse, collected near the village of Bedouin.
- Horizon
- Albian, Early Cretaceous , 113.2–100.5 million years ago
- Locality
- Near Bédoin, Mont Ventoux, Vaucluse, France
References
-
Gervais, P. (1852). Zoologie et paléontologie française (animaux vertébrés). 1-271. A. Bertrand, Paris. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.39473
Gives the humerus as from the green sandstones of Mont Ventoux in the Vaucluse, collected near the village of Bédoin. Names no formation.
gervais1852a