Ponerosteus is a dubious genus of extinct archosauromorph from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-aged) Korycanar Formation of the Czech Republic that was initially identified as a species of the dinosaur Iguanodon.[1]
| Ponerosteus Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous,
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| Holotype tibia of P. exogyrarum (National Museum in Prague) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauromorpha |
| Genus: | †Ponerosteus Olshevsky, 2000 |
| Species: | †P. exogyrarum
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| Binomial name | |
| †Ponerosteus exogyrarum (Fritsch, 1878)
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| Synonyms | |
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The type, and currently only, species is P. exogyrarum.[2]
Discovery and naming
editThe holotype, NAMU Ob 40, consisting solely of an internal cast of a tibia, was discovered near Holubice, Kralupy nad Vltavou, and was first identified as a dinosaur, which was named "Iguanodon exogirarum" (later "Iguanodon exogyrarum") by Antonín Frič in 1878.[1][3] He later (1905) renamed it Procerosaurus,[4] unaware that this name was already in use (von Huene, 1902[5]) for what is now a synonym of Tanystropheus. NAMU Ob 40 was renamed Ponerosteus exogyrarum (species name amended) by George Olshevsky in 2000, and Olshevsky considered Ponerosteus to be a nomen dubium;[2] the holotype has since been put on display at the National Museum in Prague.[2]
The name Ponerosteus can be translated as "bad", "worthless", or "useless bone", which describes the fragmentary nature of the holotype.[6]
Classification
editAlthough initially identified as being a dinosaur belonging to the genus Iguanodon,[1] Ponerosteus is currently classified within Archosauromorpha.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Fritsch, A. (1878). Die Reptilien und Fische der Böhmischen Kreideformation. Selbstverlag, Prague, 46 pp.
- ^ a b c d G. Olshevsky. (2000). An annotated checklist of dinosaur species by continent. Mesozoic Meanderings 3:1-157
- ^ https://dinosaurusblog.com/2015/07/28/druhohorni-plazi-v-cechach-iv/ Article about Ponerosteus find (in Czech)
- ^ Fritsch, A., (1905). "Synopsis der Saurier der böhm. Kreideformation" [Synopsis of the saurians of the Bohemian Cretaceous formation]. Sitzungsberichte der königlich-böhmischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, II Classe. 1905(8), 1–7.
- ^ Huene F. v., (1902). Übersicht über die Reptilien der Trias [Review of the Reptilia of the Triassic]. Geologische und Paläontologische Abhandlungen. 6, 1-84.
- ^ George Olshevsky expands on the history of the taxon, on the Dinosaur Mailing List
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