Open Paleo

Augustynolophus

Prieto-Márquez et al., 2015 OHR-gus-TEE-no-LO-fus

Named after the Augustyn family (donors to the Los Angeles County Museum) combined with Greek lophos meaning 'crest', a reference to its relative Saurolophus.

72.2–66.0 million years ago Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Augustynolophus is an extinct genus of herbivorous saurolophine hadrosaur dinosaur which was discovered in the Moreno Formation in California, dating to the late Maastrichtian age, making it one of the last non-avian dinosaurs known from the fossil record before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.

Diagnosis

  1. Base of frontal caudodorsal process crescentic, both left and right processes forming a U-shape in dorsal view
  2. Base of frontal caudodorsal process extending caudolaterally caudal to rostral end of frontal dome
  3. Solid nasal crest projecting caudodorsally above skull roof with elongate triangular distal region ending in knob-like process gently but abruptly inflected rostrally
  4. Circumnarial depression lightly incised and weakly emarginated, occupying two-thirds of width of lateral surface of distal region of crest
  5. Caudal surface of distal nasal crest subrectangular

Species

Augustynolophus morrisi Prieto-Márquez et al., 2015

Type species

Named for paleontologist William Morris.

Holotype
LACM/CIT 2852 , Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Material
Fragmentary premaxillae, both maxillae, right postorbital, right jugal, right quadratojugal, partial right quadrate, predentary, right and partial left dentary, partial surangular, angular and splenial, cervical/dorsal/caudal vertebrae, right scapula, humerus, both ulnae, radius, femora, tibiae, manual and pedal elements
Horizon
Moreno Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
Locality
LACM locality CIT 357, Tumey Hills, California, United States

Notable specimens

  • LACM/CIT 2760

    Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Found 1939 historic

    The only known specimen of Augustynolophus other than the holotype, consisting of skull and limb elements. Its smaller size suggests it may have been a juvenile. Discovered in 1939, it predates the holotype.

    Prieto-Márquez et al. (2015)

References

  1. Prieto-Márquez, A.; Wagner, J. R.; Bell, P. R.; Chiappe, L. M. (2015). The late-surviving 'duck-billed' dinosaur Augustynolophus from the upper Maastrichtian of western North America and crest evolution in Saurolophini. Geological Magazine 152(2): 225-241. Cambridge University Press (CUP). doi:10.1017/s0016756814000284 prieto-márquez2015a