Open Paleo

Prodeinodon

Osborn, 1924 pro-DY-no-don Nomen dubium

From Greek pro (before) and the genus name Deinodon; meaning "before Deinodon".

143.1–121.4 million years ago Berriasian–Barremian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Prodeinodon is a wastebasket taxon and a dubious genus of theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian to Aptian stages) from the Xinlong Formation in the Napai Basin of China and from the Oosh Formation of Mongolia. Two species have been formally identified (with a third informal species), all three known only from tooth fragments, showing no diagnostic features, making them difficult to classify, though they may belong to a carnosaur. At least some of the referred species may represent basal carcharodontosaurid theropods similar to Acrocanthosaurus.

Species

Prodeinodon mongoliense Osborn, 1924 Nomen dubium

Type species

Named for Mongolia, where the holotype tooth was collected from the Oosh Formation, with the Latin suffix '-ense' meaning 'from'.

Holotype
AMNH 6265 , American Museum of Natural History
Material
Isolated teeth
Horizon
Öösh Formation, Berriasian–Barremian, Early Cretaceous , 143.1–121.4 million years ago
Locality
Red Mesa, Övörkhangai, Mongolia

References

  1. Osborn, H. F. (1924). Sauropoda and Theropoda of the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 128: 1-16. osborn1924a
  2. Molnar, R. E. (1990). Problematic Theropoda: "Carnosaurs". The Dinosauria (Weishampel, D. B.; Dodson, P.; Osmólska, H., eds.) 306-317. University of California Press, Berkeley.

    Finds the teeth obviously theropod but without characters for assignment at the infraordinal level.

    molnar1990b
  3. Lucas, S. G. (2001). Chinese Fossil Vertebrates. Columbia University Press, New York. doi:10.7312/luca08482

    Treats Prodeinodon as a form genus for large theropod teeth.

    lucas2001b
  4. Yun, C. G. (2020). A carcharodontosaurid tooth from the Hasandong Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of South Korea. Mongolian Geoscientist 50: 2-10. doi:10.5564/mgs.v50i0.1325

    Regards Prodeinodon-type teeth from East Asia as Acrocanthosaurus- like carcharodontosaurids and rejects a dromaeosaurid identity.

    yun2020a
  5. Mo, J.; Zhou, F.; Li, G.; Huang, Z.; Cao, C. (2014). A New Carcharodontosauria (Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Guangxi, Southern China. Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition) 88(4): 1051-1059. Wiley. doi:10.1111/1755-6724.12272

    Suggests from comparable teeth that Prodeinodon is likely an allosauroid.

    mo2014a