Ornatops
From Latin 'ornatus' (ornate) and Greek 'ops' (face); meaning 'ornate face'.
Late Cretaceous stages
Ornatops is a genus of brachylophosaurin saurolophine hadrosaur from the Late Cretaceous Menefee Formation of New Mexico, United States. The genus contains a single species, Ornatops incantatus.
Diagnosis
- Nasofrontal suture on dorsal surface of frontals is horizontal rostrally and elevated caudally, ending in pair of parasagittal bumps
- Nasofrontal suture extends caudally to cover more than half of dorsal surface of frontals in adults
- Quadrate buttress is a prominent flange well set off from shaft of quadrate and dorsal condyle
Species
Ornatops incantatus McDonald et al., 2021
Type species
From Latin 'incantatus' meaning 'enchanted', a reference to New Mexico's nickname the 'Land of Enchantment', where the holotype was found.
- Holotype
- WSC 10058 , Western Science Center
- Material
- Partial skeleton including caudal region of skull: right premaxilla, right postorbital, right squamosal, both quadrates, nearly complete skull roof and braincase, dorsal vertebrae, dorsal rib, ossified tendons, right scapula, right humerus, right ulna, right radius, right metacarpals, pubis and ischium
- Horizon
- Juans Lake Bed, Allison Member, Menefee Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
- Locality
- New Mexico, United States
References
- McDonald, A. T.; Wolfe, D. G.; Freedman Fowler, E. A.; Gates, T. A. (2021). A new brachylophosaurin (Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous Menefee Formation of New Mexico. PeerJ 9: e11084. PeerJ. doi:10.7717/peerj.11084 mcdonald2021a
-
Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.
Source of the body length estimate.
jones2026a