Stegosauria
Encyclopedia
Known colloquially as stegosaurs, the Stegosauria are a group of herbivorous
dinosaur
s of the Jurassic
and Early Cretaceous
Periods, being found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere
, predominantly in what is now North America
and China
.
Their geographical origins are unclear; the earliest stegosaurs have been found in China, although fragmentary material hails from southern England
.
The genus Stegosaurus
, from which the group acquires its name, is by far the most famous stegosaurian.
s, which develop into plates and spines along the back and tail (forming the so-called "thagomizer
"). Many also have intermediate spines, called 'splates'.
, stegosaurs subsequently lost nearby premaxillary teeth.
al, with hoof-like toes on all four limbs. All stegosaurians after Huayangosaurus
have forelimbs much shorter than their hindlimbs. Given that their speed would have been limited by their shortest limb and their size is likely to have precluded them from being bipedal, this suggests that they were not able to run quickly.
The front feet of stegosaurs are commonly depicted in art and in museum displays with fingers splayed out and slanted downward. However, in this position most bones in the hand would be disarticulated. In reality, the hand bones of stegosaurs were arranged into vertical columns, with the main fingers forming a tube-like structure. This is similar to the hands of sauropod dinosaurs
, and is also supported by evidence from stegosaur footprints and fossils found in a life-like pose.
was erected for another set of stegosaur tracks which were found near Arches National Park, also in Utah. Unlike the first, this trackway preserved traces of the forefeet. Fossil remains indicate that stegosaurs have five digits on the forefeet and three weight-bearing digits on the hind feet. From this scientists were able to predict the appearance of stegosaur tracks in 1990, six years in advance of the first actual discovery of Morrison stegosaur tracks. More trackways have been found since the erection of Stegopodus. None, however, have preserved traces of the front feet and stegosaur traces remain rare.
in 1877, although today it is generally treated as an infraorder or suborder (or simply a clade
) within Thyreophora
, the armored
dinosaur
s. It includes the families Huayangosauridae and Stegosauridae.
The Huayangosauridae were an early family of stegosaurs which lived during the early to middle Jurassic
Period. In general, they were smaller than later stegosaurs and had shorter and higher skulls. Currently, the only confirmed genus included is the type genus Huayangosaurus
of China. The poorly-known remains of Regnosaurus
from England
, however, indicate it too could be a member. Its lower jaw is very similar to the former.
The vast majority of Stegosaurian dinosaurs thus far recovered being to the Stegosauridae, which lived in the later part of the Jurassic and early Cretaceous. It includes the well-known Stegosaurus
. The family is widespread, with members across the Northern Hemisphere and Africa
.
Following is a list of stegosaurian genera by classification and location:
Suborder Thyreophora
Infraorder Stegosauria
of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
published a preliminary phyletic tree of stegosaurs, in the 2001 description of Hesperosaurus. Here, the basal stegosaur Huayangosaurus is used as the outgroup. The Stegosauridae
are then defined as all stegosaurs closer to Stegosaurus than to Huayangosaurus. The position of Chungkingosaurus is uncertain due to lack of data.
Stegosauria
├──Huayangosaurus
└──Stegosauridae
└──┬─?Chungkingosaurus
└──┬──Chialingosaurus
└──┬──┬──Wuerhosaurus
│ └──┬──Dacentrurus
│ └──Hesperosaurus
└──┬──Tuojiangosaurus
└──┬──┬──Kentrosaurus
│ └──Lexovisaurus
└──┬──Stegosaurus stenops
└──S. ungulatus (=?S. armatus)
" and "Yingshanosaurus
". Until formal descriptions are published, these genera are regarded as nomina nuda
.
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
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...
s of the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
and Early 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...
Periods, being found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
, predominantly in what is now 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...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Their geographical origins are unclear; the earliest stegosaurs have been found in China, although fragmentary material hails from southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The genus Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
, from which the group acquires its name, is by far the most famous stegosaurian.
Paleobiology
All stegosaurs have rows of special bones, called osteodermOsteoderm
Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodilians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and hupehsuchians...
s, which develop into plates and spines along the back and tail (forming the so-called "thagomizer
Thagomizer
Thagomizer is an informal name for the distinctive arrangement of four to ten spikes on the tails of stegosaurid dinosaurs. These spikes are believed to have been a defensive measure against predators.-Paleobiology:...
"). Many also have intermediate spines, called 'splates'.
Skull
They had characteristic long, narrow heads and a horn-covered beak or rhamphotheca, which covered the front of the upper jaw (premaxillary) and lower jaw (predentary) bones. Similar structures are seen in turtles and birds. Apart from HuayangosaurusHuayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The name derives from "Huayang", an alternate name for Sichuan , and "saurus", meaning "lizard"...
, stegosaurs subsequently lost nearby premaxillary teeth.
Posture
All are quadrupedQuadruped
Quadrupedalism is a form of land animal locomotion using four limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet"...
al, with hoof-like toes on all four limbs. All stegosaurians after Huayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The name derives from "Huayang", an alternate name for Sichuan , and "saurus", meaning "lizard"...
have forelimbs much shorter than their hindlimbs. Given that their speed would have been limited by their shortest limb and their size is likely to have precluded them from being bipedal, this suggests that they were not able to run quickly.
The front feet of stegosaurs are commonly depicted in art and in museum displays with fingers splayed out and slanted downward. However, in this position most bones in the hand would be disarticulated. In reality, the hand bones of stegosaurs were arranged into vertical columns, with the main fingers forming a tube-like structure. This is similar to the hands of sauropod dinosaurs
Sauropoda
Sauropoda , or the sauropods , are an infraorder of saurischian dinosaurs. They had long necks, long tails, small heads , and thick, pillar-like legs. They are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some species, and the group includes the largest animals to have ever lived on land...
, and is also supported by evidence from stegosaur footprints and fossils found in a life-like pose.
Trace fossils
Stegosaur tracks were first recognized in 1996 from a hindprint-only trackway discovered at the Clevland-Lloyd quarry, which is located near Price, Utah. Two years later, a new ichnogenus called StegopodusStegopodus
Stegopodus was a new ichnogenus erected in 1998 for the second set of stegosaur tracks from the Morrison Formation. The tracks were found near Arches National Park, also in Utah. Unlike the first, this trackway preserved traces of the forefeet. Fossil remains indicate that stegosaurs have five...
was erected for another set of stegosaur tracks which were found near Arches National Park, also in Utah. Unlike the first, this trackway preserved traces of the forefeet. Fossil remains indicate that stegosaurs have five digits on the forefeet and three weight-bearing digits on the hind feet. From this scientists were able to predict the appearance of stegosaur tracks in 1990, six years in advance of the first actual discovery of Morrison stegosaur tracks. More trackways have been found since the erection of Stegopodus. None, however, have preserved traces of the front feet and stegosaur traces remain rare.
Classification
The Stegosauria was originally named as an order within Reptilia by O.C. MarshOthniel Charles Marsh
Othniel Charles Marsh was an American paleontologist. Marsh was one of the preeminent scientists in the field; the discovery or description of dozens of news species and theories on the origins of birds are among his legacies.Born into a modest family, Marsh was able to afford higher education...
in 1877, although today it is generally treated as an infraorder or suborder (or simply a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
) within Thyreophora
Thyreophora
The Thyreophora were a subgroup of the ornithischian dinosaurs...
, the armored
Armour (zoology)
Armour in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body , usually through the hardening of body tissues, outgrowths or secretions. It has therefore mostly developed in 'prey' species...
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...
s. It includes the families Huayangosauridae and Stegosauridae.
The Huayangosauridae were an early family of stegosaurs which lived during the early to middle Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
Period. In general, they were smaller than later stegosaurs and had shorter and higher skulls. Currently, the only confirmed genus included is the type genus Huayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus
Huayangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The name derives from "Huayang", an alternate name for Sichuan , and "saurus", meaning "lizard"...
of China. The poorly-known remains of Regnosaurus
Regnosaurus
Regnosaurus is a genus of herbivorous stegosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period in what is now England.-Discovery and species:...
from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, however, indicate it too could be a member. Its lower jaw is very similar to the former.
The vast majority of Stegosaurian dinosaurs thus far recovered being to the Stegosauridae, which lived in the later part of the Jurassic and early Cretaceous. It includes the well-known Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
. The family is widespread, with members across the Northern Hemisphere and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Taxonomy
Suborder Thyreophora
Thyreophora
The Thyreophora were a subgroup of the ornithischian dinosaurs...
Infraorder Stegosauria
- GigantspinosaurusGigantspinosaurusGigantspinosaurus is a genus of herbivorous ornithischian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. It was a stegosaur found in Sichuan, China....
- Family Huayangosauridae
- HuayangosaurusHuayangosaurusHuayangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. The name derives from "Huayang", an alternate name for Sichuan , and "saurus", meaning "lizard"...
(SichuanSichuan' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) - ?RegnosaurusRegnosaurusRegnosaurus is a genus of herbivorous stegosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period in what is now England.-Discovery and species:...
(SussexSussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
)
- Huayangosaurus
- Family Stegosauridae
- ChialingosaurusChialingosaurusChialingosaurus is a genus of stegosaur similar to Kentrosaurus from the Upper Shaximiao Formation, Late Jurassic beds in Sichuan Province in China. Its age makes it one of the oldest species of stegosaurs, living about 160 million years ago...
- (SichuanSichuan' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) - ChungkingosaurusChungkingosaurusChungkingosaurus, meaning "Chongqing Lizard", is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic-age Upper Shaximiao Formation in what is now China. It is classified as a stegosaurid.-Discovery and species:...
- (ChongqingChongqingChongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) - DacentrurusDacentrurusDacentrurus , originally known as Omosaurus, was a large stegosaur of the Late Jurassic Period .-Description:...
- (United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
& SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) - HesperosaurusHesperosaurusHesperosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur from the Kimmeridgian to Tithonian epochs of the Jurassic period , whose fossils are found in the state of Wyoming in the United States of America...
- (WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, USA) - MiragaiaMiragaia (dinosaur)Miragaia is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur. Its fossils have been found in Upper Jurassic rocks in Portugal...
- (PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
) - MonkonosaurusMonkonosaurusMonkonosaurus is the name given to a dubious genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic . It was a stegosaur which lived in what is now Tibet. The type specimen, Monkonosaurus lawulacus was formalized by Zhao in 1983, but is based only on one partial skeleton...
- (TibetTibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) - ParanthodonParanthodonParanthodon was a dinosaur from the early Cretaceous. It lived in what is now South Africa. It is classified as a stegosaur. It has a long and confusing history. The type species, Paranthodon africanus, comes from a partial skull first described as Palaeoscincus africanus in 1912...
- (South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) - WuerhosaurusWuerhosaurusWuerhosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of China. As such, it was one of the last genera of stegosaurians known to have existed, since most others lived in the late Jurassic.-Discovery and species:...
- (XinjiangXinjiangXinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, Western ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) - Subfamily Stegosaurinae
- KentrosaurusKentrosaurusKentrosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Tanzania. Its fossils have been found only in the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania, dated to the Kimmeridgian stage, between about 155.7 ± 4 Ma and 150.8 ± 4 Ma . Apparently, all finds belong to one species, K...
- (TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Africa) - LexovisaurusLexovisaurusLexovisaurus was one of the first dinosaurs from mid-to-Late Jurassic Europe, 164.7 mya to be discovered. It was a stegosaur. Its fossils have been found in France and northern England....
(=LoricatosaurusLoricatosaurusLoricatosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from Callovian-age rocks of England and France...
) - (United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
& FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - StegosaurusStegosaurusStegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
- (WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, USA) - TuojiangosaurusTuojiangosaurusTuojiangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period, recovered from the Upper Shaximiao Formation of what is now Sichuan Province in China. Physically similar to the North American Stegosaurus, Tuojiangosaurus is the best understood of the Chinese stegosaurids...
- (SichuanSichuan' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
)
- Kentrosaurus
- Uncertain placement (incertae sedis)
- ?CraterosaurusCraterosaurusCraterosaurus was a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur. It lived during the Early Cretaceous around 145-136 million years ago. Its fossils were found in England...
- (BedfordshireBedfordshireBedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England) - JiangjunosaurusJiangjunosaurusJiangjunosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Oxfordian-age Shishugou Formation of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China. Remains including the lower jaw, some skull bones, eleven articulated neck vertebrae, and two plates are known. The type species, J. junggarensis, was described by...
- (XinjiangXinjiangXinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, Western ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
)
- ?Craterosaurus
- Chialingosaurus
Phylogeny
Kenneth CarpenterKenneth Carpenter
Kenneth Carpenter is a paleontologist. He is the museum director of the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum and author or co-author of a number of books on dinosaurs and Mesozoic life...
of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the natural history of...
published a preliminary phyletic tree of stegosaurs, in the 2001 description of Hesperosaurus. Here, the basal stegosaur Huayangosaurus is used as the outgroup. The Stegosauridae
Stegosauridae
Stegosauridae is a family of stegosauria, large thyreophorans. They lived longer than other Stegosaurs; while all Huayangosauridae and most of basal stegosaurs died out in Tithonian - Kimmeridgian, stegosauridae survived till Middle Cretaceous. They are usually characterized by triangular plates on...
are then defined as all stegosaurs closer to Stegosaurus than to Huayangosaurus. The position of Chungkingosaurus is uncertain due to lack of data.
Stegosauria
├──Huayangosaurus
└──Stegosauridae
Stegosauridae
Stegosauridae is a family of stegosauria, large thyreophorans. They lived longer than other Stegosaurs; while all Huayangosauridae and most of basal stegosaurs died out in Tithonian - Kimmeridgian, stegosauridae survived till Middle Cretaceous. They are usually characterized by triangular plates on...
└──┬─?Chungkingosaurus
Chungkingosaurus
Chungkingosaurus, meaning "Chongqing Lizard", is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic-age Upper Shaximiao Formation in what is now China. It is classified as a stegosaurid.-Discovery and species:...
└──┬──Chialingosaurus
Chialingosaurus
Chialingosaurus is a genus of stegosaur similar to Kentrosaurus from the Upper Shaximiao Formation, Late Jurassic beds in Sichuan Province in China. Its age makes it one of the oldest species of stegosaurs, living about 160 million years ago...
└──┬──┬──Wuerhosaurus
Wuerhosaurus
Wuerhosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of China. As such, it was one of the last genera of stegosaurians known to have existed, since most others lived in the late Jurassic.-Discovery and species:...
│ └──┬──Dacentrurus
Dacentrurus
Dacentrurus , originally known as Omosaurus, was a large stegosaur of the Late Jurassic Period .-Description:...
│ └──Hesperosaurus
Hesperosaurus
Hesperosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur from the Kimmeridgian to Tithonian epochs of the Jurassic period , whose fossils are found in the state of Wyoming in the United States of America...
└──┬──Tuojiangosaurus
Tuojiangosaurus
Tuojiangosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period, recovered from the Upper Shaximiao Formation of what is now Sichuan Province in China. Physically similar to the North American Stegosaurus, Tuojiangosaurus is the best understood of the Chinese stegosaurids...
└──┬──┬──Kentrosaurus
Kentrosaurus
Kentrosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Tanzania. Its fossils have been found only in the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania, dated to the Kimmeridgian stage, between about 155.7 ± 4 Ma and 150.8 ± 4 Ma . Apparently, all finds belong to one species, K...
│ └──Lexovisaurus
Lexovisaurus
Lexovisaurus was one of the first dinosaurs from mid-to-Late Jurassic Europe, 164.7 mya to be discovered. It was a stegosaur. Its fossils have been found in France and northern England....
└──┬──Stegosaurus stenops
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
└──S. ungulatus (=?S. armatus)
Undescribed species
To date, several genera from China bearing names have not been formally described, including "ChangdusaurusChangdusaurus
"Changdusaurus" is the informal name given to a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period. It lived in what is now present-day China. "Changdusaurus" is classified as a stegosaurid. The type species was named "Changdusaurus laminoplacodus" by Zhao in 1986, but it has never been formally...
" and "Yingshanosaurus
Yingshanosaurus
"Yingshanosaurus" is the informal name given to a genus of quadrupedal dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, around 150 million years ago. It was a stegosaurian which lived in what is now China. The suggested "type species", coined by Zhou in 1984, is "Yingshanosaurus jichuanensis", but this is...
". Until formal descriptions are published, these genera are regarded as nomina nuda
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
.
External links
- http://www.palaeos.com/Vertebrates/Units/320Ornithischia/320.200.html
- http://www.kheper.net/evolution/dinosauria/Stegosauria.htm