Diclonius
Encyclopedia
Diclonius is a genus
of dinosaur
from the Late Cretaceous
. It was a hadrosaur based solely on teeth. Its fossils have been found in North America
. The name is in reference to the method of tooth replacement, in which newly erupting replacement teeth could be in functional use at the same time as older, more worn teeth. Thus, the number of "sprouting" teeth was doubled in comparison to Monoclonius
("single sprout"), which used only one set of teeth at a time and which Cope named in the same paper.
The type species
, Diclonius pentagonus, is a nomen nudum
discovered by Cope in 1876. Other formally undescribed species include D. calamarius and D. perangulatus. A "fourth" species has been reclassified as Anatotitan
. They are all tooth taxa, known only from teeth and one jaw.
Although Cope referred several other batches of teeth to the genus, under several species, the name is considered a nomen dubium
.
Other Species:
*Note: Diclonius mirabilis is actually the assignment of Trachodon mirabilis to Diclonius by Cope (1883).
series Elfen Lied
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
. It was a hadrosaur based solely on teeth. Its fossils have been found in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The name is in reference to the method of tooth replacement, in which newly erupting replacement teeth could be in functional use at the same time as older, more worn teeth. Thus, the number of "sprouting" teeth was doubled in comparison to Monoclonius
Monoclonius
Monoclonius was a ceratopsian dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Late Cretaceous Montana and Canada. It is often confused with Centrosaurus, a similar genus of ceratopsian . Monoclonius was described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1876...
("single sprout"), which used only one set of teeth at a time and which Cope named in the same paper.
The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, Diclonius pentagonus, is a nomen nudum
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
discovered by Cope in 1876. Other formally undescribed species include D. calamarius and D. perangulatus. A "fourth" species has been reclassified as Anatotitan
Anatotitan
Anatotitan is a genus of flat-headed or hadrosaurine hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur from the very end of the Cretaceous Period, in what is now North America...
. They are all tooth taxa, known only from teeth and one jaw.
Although Cope referred several other batches of teeth to the genus, under several species, the name is considered a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
.
Species
Type:- D. pentagonus Cope, 1876 (type); fragmentary dentary with teeth
Other Species:
- D. calamarius Cope, 1876; teeth
- D. mirabilis (Leidy, 1856) Cope, 1883; included in part with TrachodonTrachodonTrachodon is a dubious genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur based on teeth from the Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation of Montana, U.S.A...
mirabilis and AnatotitanAnatotitanAnatotitan is a genus of flat-headed or hadrosaurine hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur from the very end of the Cretaceous Period, in what is now North America...
copei * - D. perangulatus Cope, 1876; teeth
*Note: Diclonius mirabilis is actually the assignment of Trachodon mirabilis to Diclonius by Cope (1883).
Other uses
Diclonius is also the name of a human-like race from the animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Elfen Lied
Elfen Lied
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Lynn Okamoto. A thirteen-episode anime television series adaptation was produced by the studio ARMS and broadcast on TV Tokyo from July to October 2004. The anime was later licensed in North America on DVD by ADV Films...
.
Sources
- Cope, E. D. 1883. The structure and appearance of the Laramie dinosaurian. American Naturalist 37:774-777.
- Coombs, W. 1988. The status of the dinosaurian genus Diclonius and the taxonomic utility of hadrosaurian teeth. Journal of Paleontology 62:812-817.