Open Paleo

Microceratus

Mateus, 2008 mike-row-ker-ah-tuss Nomen dubium

From Greek 'mikros' (small) and 'keras' (horn); meaning 'small-horned'.

85.7–72.2 million years ago Santonian–Campanian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Microceratus is a genus of small ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous period of Mongolia. It walked on two legs, had short front arms, a characteristic ceratopsian frill and beak-like mouth, and was around 60 cm (2.0 ft) long. It was one of the most primitive ceratopsians, or horned dinosaurs, along with Psittacosaurus, which was also discovered in Mongolia.

Species

Microceratus gobiensis (Bohlin, 1953) Nomen dubium

Type species

First named as Microceratops gobiensis

Named for the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, where the holotype was discovered.

Holotype
Not catalogued (lost)
Material
Fragmentary dentary.
Notes
Bohlin's field designation "T. sh. V."; uncatalogued and functionally lost.
Horizon
lower Ulansuhai Formation, Santonian–Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 85.7–72.2 million years ago
Locality
Tsondolein-khuduk, Inner Mongolia, China Evans and colleagues (2021) find it "likely that fossils from Tsondolien-Khuduk are from the lower part of the Ulansuhai Formation and below the Bayan Mandahu fossil horizon", consistent with the suggestion that the assemblage, on "Microceratops" (=Microceratus), is "similar in age to either Baynshirenian or Barungoyotian (i.e., Santonian–Campanian)", "or perhaps older". The formation itself runs no later than the Campanian.

Synonyms of the genus

Name Type Reason
Microceratops preoccupied Name preoccupied by Microceratops (Hymenoptera).

References

  1. Bohlin, B. (1953). VI. Vertebrate Palaeontology 6. Fossil reptiles from Mongolia and Kansu. Reports from the Scientific Expedition to the North-western Provinces of China under Leadership of Dr. Sven Hedin. The Sino-Swedish Expedition Publication 37: 1-113.

    Original description of the species as Microceratops gobiensis; the genus name Microceratops was preoccupied by an ichneumon wasp and was replaced with Microceratus by Mateus (2008).

    bohlin1953a
  2. Mateus, O. (2008). Two ornithischian dinosaurs renamed: Microceratops Bohlin 1953 and Diceratops Lull 1905. Journal of Paleontology 82(2): 423-423. Cambridge University Press (CUP). doi:10.1666/07-069.1 mateus2008a
  3. Evans, D. C.; Brown, C. M.; You, H.; Campione, N. E. (2021). Description and revised diagnosis of Asia's first recorded pachycephalosaurid, Sinocephale bexelli gen. nov., from the Upper Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 58(10): 981-992. Canadian Science Publishing. doi:10.1139/cjes-2020-0190

    Places the type locality north of the Yellow River in Nei Mongol, refuting the Minhe Formation attribution, and assigns its red sediments to the lower Ulansuhai Formation.

    evans2021a
  4. Sereno, P. C. (2000). The fossil record, systematics and evolution of pachycephalosaurs and ceratopsians from Asia. The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia (Benton, M. J.; Shishkin, M. A.; Unwin, D. M.; Kurochkin, E. N., eds.) 480-516. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Regards Microceratops gobiensis as a nomen dubium for lack of diagnostic features in the holotype, and rejects the referral of the Shireegiin Gashuun skeleton to it.

    sereno2000a
  5. Makovicky, P. J.; Norell, M. A. (2006). Yamaceratops dorngobiensis, a New Primitive Ceratopsian (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Cretaceous of Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 3530: 1-42. American Museum of Natural History (BioOne sponsored). doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2006)3530[1:ydanpc]2.0.co;2

    Follows Sereno (2000) in treating Microceratops as a nomen dubium, separate from Graciliceratops.

    makovicky2006a