Iguanacolossus
Named for the reptile genus Iguana (in reference to the iconic iguana-like teeth of iguanodontians) combined with Latin 'colossus' meaning 'colossal' or 'giant', in reference to the large body size of the specimen.
Early Cretaceous stages
Iguanacolossus is a genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous period. It is known from UMNH VP 20205, the associated holotype with a large partial skeleton of a single individual.
Diagnosis
- Contact surface for supraoccipital on caudomedial process of squamosal is sinuous in caudal view
- Postorbital process of squamosal mediolaterally compressed and blade-like
- Axial neural spine blade-like and semi-circular in profile
- Cranial extremity of preacetabular process of ilium modified into horizontal boot
- Dorsal margin of ilium straight
- Pubis tapers to a blunt point
Species
Iguanacolossus fortis McDonald et al., 2010
Type species
From Latin 'fortis' meaning 'mighty', in reference to the large body size of the specimen.
- Holotype
- UMNH VP 20205 , Utah Museum of Natural History
- Material
- Associated partial skeleton of a single individual.
- Horizon
- lower Yellow Cat Member, Cedar Mountain Formation, Berriasian–Barremian, Early Cretaceous , 143.1–121.4 million years ago
- Locality
- Don's Ridge, UMNH VP locality 1206, Utah, United States McDonald and colleagues (2010) find the age of the lower Yellow Cat "difficult to ascertain" and treat it provisionally as "early Barremian, possibly older".
References
- McDonald, A. T.; Kirkland, J. I.; DeBlieux, D. D.; Madsen, S. K.; Cavin, J.; Milner, A. R. C.; Panzarin, L. (2010). New Basal Iguanodonts from the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah and the Evolution of Thumb-Spiked Dinosaurs. PLoS ONE 5(11): e14075. Public Library of Science (PLoS). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014075 mcdonald2010b