Procheneosaurus

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Procheneosaurus was the name given to a genus of hadrosaur dinosaur, based on small skulls with low domes in front of the eyes. It is now believed that the remains referred to its various species were from juvenile individuals of two separate dinosaur genera, as shown by Peter Dodson in 1975: Corythosaurus and Lambeosaurus. The name Procheneosaurus is thus invalid.

The genus was created by Matthew in 1923 in a photo caption, which is normally not considered to be sufficient for publication, and the specimen was later renamed Tetragonosaurus. However, Richard Swann Lull requested that the latter name be suppressed in favor of Procheneosaurus, which was granted. The type species, Procheneosaurus praeceps, was described by Parks in 1931, as a species of Tetragonosaurus. This species is now considered to be a specimen of Lambeosaurus lambei, although Procheneosaurus predates Lambeosaurus, and therefore would need to be suppressed to continue to use the well-known name Lambeosaurus. P. altidens was a new combination erected by Lull and Wright in 1942 for "Trachodon" altidens, and may also be a specimen of Lambeosaurus, although it is based on only a maxilla, so it is difficult to be certain. P. cranibrevis and P. erectofrons are included with Corythosaurus casuarius. P. convicens, an Asian species, may be synonymous with Jaxartosaurus aralensis, or it could be its own genus, which would require a new generic name.

[edit] References

Dodson, P. (1975). Taxonomic implications of relative growth in lambeosaurine dinosaurs. Systematic Zoology 24:37-54.
Evans, D.C., Forster, C.A., and Reisz, R.R. (2005). The type specimen of Tetragonosaurus erectofrons (Ornithischia: Hadrosauridae) and the identification of juvenile lambeosaurines. In: Currie, P.J., and Koppelhus, E.B. Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed. Indiana University Press:Bloomington, 349-366.
Lull, R.S., and Wright, N.E. (1942). Hadrosaurian Dinosaurs of North America. Geological Society of America Special Paper 40:1-242.