Pawpawsaurus
Named for the Paw Paw Formation in Texas where it was discovered, combined with Greek '-saurus' meaning 'lizard'.
Pawpawsaurus, meaning "Pawpaw Lizard", is a nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Cretaceous (late Albian) of Tarrant County, Texas, discovered in May 1992. The only species yet assigned to this taxon, Pawpawsaurus campbelli, is based on a complete skull (lacking mandibles) from the marine Paw Paw Formation (Washita Group).
Diagnosis
- Prevomers with rostral U-shaped ridge that opens posteriorly
- Oval prevomer foramen
- Lack of sagittal septum
- Prominent W-shaped basioccipital tubera
- Anteriorly concave and anteroposteriorly flattened quadrate
Species
Pawpawsaurus campbelli Lee, 1996
Type species
Named for Cameron Campbell, who discovered the holotype skull in the Paw Paw Formation of Tarrant County, Texas, in May 1992.
- Holotype
- SMU 73203 , Shuler Museum of Paleontology, Southern Methodist University
- Material
- Skull, approximately 250 mm long and 200 mm wide, well preserved and fully mature
- Horizon
- Paw Paw Formation, Albian, Early Cretaceous , 113.2–100.5 million years ago
- Locality
- SMU locality 263, Texas, United States
References
-
Carpenter, K.; Kirkland, J. I. (1998). Review of Lower and Middle Cretaceous ankylosaurs from North America. Lower and Middle Cretaceous Terrestrial Ecosystems (Lucas, S. G.; Kirkland, J. I.; Estep, J. W., eds.) 14: 249-270.
Gives the type horizon and locality as "Paw Paw Formation (late Albian ...), ~32°52'N, ~97°18'W, Tarrant County, Texas".
carpenter1998c - Lee, Y. N. (1996). A new nodosaurid ankylosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Paw Paw Formation (Late Albian) of Texas. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16(2): 232-245. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/02724634.1996.10011311 lee1996a
-
Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.
Source of the mass and hip height estimates, and the appearance features.
jones2026a