Ohmdenosaurus
Named after the village of Ohmden in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, near where the specimen was found, combined with Greek sauros meaning 'lizard'; meaning 'Ohmden lizard'
Ohmdenosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic epoch in what is now Germany. The only specimen — a tibia (shinbone) and ankle — was discovered in rocks of the Posidonia Shale near the village of Ohmden. The specimen, which was originally identified as a plesiosaur, is exhibited in a local museum, the Urweltmuseum Hauff. In the 1970s, it caught the attention of German paleontologist Rupert Wild, who recognized it as the remains of a sauropod. Wild named Ohmdenosaurus in a 1978 publication; the only known species is Ohmdenosaurus liasicus.
Diagnosis
- Stocky, massive tibia strongly expanded at both joint ends
- Cnemial crest sloping, bowed inward laterally, and bounded laterally by a sulcus
- Lateral crest on the tibial shaft extending distally to about the shaft midpoint
- Proximal tibial joint end perpendicular to the shaft's long axis
- Flat, sandal-shaped astragalus lacking an ascending process
- Small, disk-shaped calcaneus, with the ankle joint bearing bony sesamoids
Species
Ohmdenosaurus liasicus Wild, 1978
Type species
From Latin 'liasicus' meaning 'of the Lias', referring to the Lias, an old name for the Lower Jurassic of Europe, in which the holotype was found.
- Holotype
- Not catalogued , Urweltmuseum Hauff (uncatalogued)
- Material
- Tibia, astragalus, and calcaneus.
- Horizon
- lower Posidonia Shale Formation, Toarcian, Early Jurassic , 184.2–174.7 million years ago
- Locality
- Ohmden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
References
- Wild, R. (1978). Ein Sauropoden-Rest (Reptilia, Saurischia) aus dem Posidonienschiefer (Lias, Toarcium) von Holzmaden [A new sauropod (Reptilia, Saurischia) from the Posidonienschiefer (Lias, Toarcian) of Holzmaden]. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie) 41: 1-15. wild1978a