Ornithopsis
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| Ornithopsis Fossil range: Early Cretaceous |
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Ornithopsis (meaning "bird-face") was a medium-sized Early Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur, described by Harry Seeley in 1870. The type is known from dorsal vertebrae from Europe. It has been considered a synonym of the wastebasket taxon Pelorosaurus, but recent research suggests that this is not as clear-cut as supposed. While Pelorosaurus is synonymous with several species of Ornithopsis, other genera are also considered synonyms, and the type species may yet prove to be valid.
Ornithopsis is currently restricted to the type species, O. hulkei, and a possible second species, O. eucamerotus, being a nomen dubium and safely referrable to Titanosauriformes incertae sedis. This revision is after Upchurch et al. (2004). As a matter of reference, other species misassigned to Ornithopsis have been re-identified as separate genera.
[edit] Species
- O. hulkei (Seeley 1870) (type) - nomen dubium? = Pelorosaurus hulkei, Bothriospondylus magnus and Chondrosteosaurus magnus.
- O. conybearei (Mantell 1850) - nomen dubium = Pelorosaurus conybearei = "Cetiosaurus" conybeari.
- O. eucamerotus (Hulke 1882) - nomen dubium = Eucamerotus.
- O. greppini (von Huene 1922)= Cetiosauriscus greppini and Ischyrosaurus greppini.
- O. manseli (Hulke after Lydekker) 1887) = Cetiosauriscus manseli and Ischyrosaurus manseli.
- O. humerocristatus (Hulke 1874/Lydekker 1888) - nomen dubium = Pelorosaurus humerocristatus.
- O. leedsi (Hulke 1887) - may require its own genus within the Brachiosauridae.
- O. manseli (Hulke 1874/Lydekker 1888) - nomen dubium = Ischyrosaurus manseli or Pelorosaurus manseli.
- O. suffossa (Owen 1875/von Huene 1922) = Bothriospondylus suffossus.
[edit] References
- Upchurch, P., Barrett, P.M. and Dodson, P. 2004. Sauropoda. In The Dinosauria, 2nd edition. D. Weishampel, P. Dodson, and H. Osmólska (eds.). University of California Press, Berkeley. Pp. 259-322.
