Crichtonsaurus
From the surname Crichton (Michael Crichton, author of 'Jurassic Park') and Greek 'sauros' (lizard); meaning "Crichton's lizard".
Crichtonsaurus is a dubious genus of herbivorous ankylosaur that lived during the late Early to early Late Cretaceous in what is now China. It was named after Michael Crichton, the author of the dinosaur novel Jurassic Park. A second species, C. benxiensis, was named in the genus in 2007; Arbour and Currie (2015) moved it to the new genus Crichtonpelta.
Species
Crichtonsaurus bohlini Dong, 2002 Nomen dubium
Type species
In honor of Swedish paleontologist Birger Bohlin, who collected and studied early ankylosaur fossils from China in the 1930s.
- Holotype
- IVPP V12745 , Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
- Material
- Fragment of left mandible (~2.2 cm) bearing three teeth (one functional, two replacement crowns exposed).
- Horizon
- lower Sunjiawan Formation, Albian–Cenomanian, Early Cretaceous–Late Cretaceous , 113.2–93.9 million years ago
- Locality
- Shuangmiao village, Xiafu Township, Beipiao City, Liaoning, China
References
-
Dong, Z. (2002). A new armored dinosaur (Ankylosauria) from Beipiao Basin, Liaoning Province, northeastern China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 40(4): 276-285.
Original description of Crichtonsaurus bohlini on a fragmentary left mandible from the Sunjiawan Formation; family assigned as incertae sedis pending more material.
dong2002a -
Arbour, V. M.; Currie, P. J. (2015). Systematics, phylogeny and palaeobiogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14(5): 385-444. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/14772019.2015.1059985
Concludes that the C. bohlini holotype lacks any diagnostic characters and treats the species as a nomen dubium; splits C. benxiensis off as the new genus Crichtonpelta.
arbour2015a