Thescelosauridae

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Thescelosaurids
Temporal range: Early–Late Cretaceous, 130–66  Ma
Burpee - Thescelosaurus.JPG
Mounted specimen of Thescelosaurus , Burpee Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade:† Ornithischia
Clade:† Neornithischia
Clade:† Pyrodontia
Family:† Thescelosauridae
Sternberg, 1937
Subfamilies [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • ParksosauridaeBuchholtz, 2002
  • Jeholosauridae? Han et al., 2012

Thescelosauridae is a clade of neornithischians from the Cretaceous of East Asia and North America. The group was originally used as a name by Charles M. Sternberg in 1937, but was not formally defined until 2013, where it was used by Brown and colleagues as the group uniting Thescelosaurus and Orodromeus , based on their phylogenetic results. [1] [3] During a phylogenetic revision of neornithischians by Clint Boyd in 2015, the authorship of Thescelosauridae was given to Brown and colleagues, which meant that the similar name Parksosauridae, informally defined in 2002 by Buchholz, would have had priority over Thescelosauridae. The two clades had slightly different definitions, with Parksosauridae referring to all animals closer to Parksosaurus than Hypsilophodon , but they contained the same taxa so Boyd used Parksosauridae under the assumption it had priority. [4] However, in formalizing the clade following the regulations of the PhyloCode, Madzia, Boyd, and colleagues identified in 2021 that Sternberg was the proper authority for Thescelosauridae, giving it priority over Parksosauridae. As well, they gave Thescelosauridae the definition of the largest clade containing Thescelosaurus neglectus but not Iguanodon bernissartensis , as long as Hypsilophodon foxii was not in the group, modifying previous definitions for Thescelosauridae in order to maintain its modern use, so that the clade was not applied if Thescelosaurus fell within Hypsilophodontidae, a family that has not been recently used but may be revived if the systematic position of Hypsilophodon was solidified at some point in the future. [1] Madzia et al. identified the analysis of Madzia et al. in 2018 as the reference analysis for the name Thescelosauridae, an analysis based on a revised version of the 2015 Boyd analysis. [1] [5]

Contents

Neornithischia

History

Although Hypsilophodontidae was interpreted as a natural group in the early 1990s, [6] [7] this hypothesis has fallen out of favor and Hypsilophodontidae has been found to be an unnatural family composed of a variety of animals more or less closely related to Iguanodontia (paraphyletic), with various small clades of closely related taxa. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] "Hypsilophodontidae" and "hypsilophodont" are better understood as informal terms for an evolutionary grade, not a true clade. Thescelosaurus has been regarded as both very basal [7] and very derived [10] among the hypsilophodonts. One issue that has potentially interfered with classifying Thescelosaurus is that not all of the remains assigned to T. neglectus necessarily belong to it. [13] Clint Boyd and colleagues found that while the clade Thescelosaurus included the genus Bugenasaura and the species that had been assigned to that genus, there were at least two and possibly three species within Thescelosaurus, and several specimens previously assigned to T. neglectus could not yet be assigned to a species within the genus. [8] It appears to be closely related to Parksosaurus , [8] [10] [11] [14] [15] although this relationship has been called into question. [16]

The dissolution of Hypsilophodontidae was followed by the recognition of the distinct family Parksosauridae by Buchholz in 2002, defined as the most inclusive clade containing Parksosaurus warreni , but not Hypsilophodon foxii , Dryosaurus altus , or Iguanodon bernissartensis . [17] [4] Boyd et al. (2009) and Brown et al. (2011) found North American "hypsilophodonts" of Cretaceous age to sort into two related clusters, one (Orodrominae) consisting of Orodromeus , Oryctodromeus , and Zephyrosaurus , and the other (Thescelosaurinae) consisting of Parksosaurus and Thescelosaurus . [8] [14] Brown et al. (2013) recovered similar results, with the addition of the new genus Albertadromeus to the Orodromeus clade (called Orodrominae) and several long-snouted Asian forms (previously described under Jeholosauridae) [9] to the Thescelosaurus clade (called Thescelosaurinae). [15]

Paleoecology

Orodromines may have burrowed, as is known for Oryctodromeus which was found in burrows, based upon the packing of their bones in situations where they typically would have been scattered. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ornithischia</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

Ornithischia is an extinct clade of mainly herbivorous dinosaurs characterized by a pelvic structure superficially similar to that of birds. The name Ornithischia, or "bird-hipped", reflects this similarity and is derived from the Greek stem ornith- (ὀρνιθ-), meaning "bird", and ischion (ἴσχιον), meaning "hip". However, birds are only distantly related to this group, as birds are theropod dinosaurs.

<i>Hypsilophodon</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Hypsilophodon is a neornithischian dinosaur genus from the Early Cretaceous period of England. It has traditionally been considered an early member of the group Ornithopoda, but recent research has put this into question.

<i>Qantassaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Qantassaurus is a genus of basal two-legged, plant-eating elasmarian ornithischian dinosaur that lived in Australia about 125-112 million years ago, when the continent was still partly south of the Antarctic Circle. It was described by Patricia Vickers-Rich and her husband Tom Rich in 1999 after a find near Inverloch, and named after Qantas, the Australian airline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ornithopoda</span> Extinct suborder of dinosaurs

Ornithopoda is a clade of ornithischian dinosaurs, called ornithopods. They represent one of the most successful groups of herbivorous dinosaurs during the Cretaceous. The most primitive members of the group were bipedal and relatively small-sized, while advanced members of the subgroup Iguanodontia became quadrupedal and developed large body size. Their major evolutionary advantage was the progressive development of a chewing apparatus that became the most sophisticated ever developed by a non-avian dinosaur, rivaling that of modern mammals such as the domestic cow. They reached their apex of diversity and ecological dominance in the hadrosaurids, before they were wiped out by the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event along with all other non-avian dinosaurs. Members are known worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypsilophodontidae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Hypsilophodontidae is a traditionally used family of ornithopod dinosaurs, generally considered invalid today. It historically included many small bodied bipedal neornithischian taxa from around the world, and spanning from the Middle Jurassic until the Late Cretaceous. This inclusive status was supported by some phylogenetic analyses from the 1990s and mid 2000s, although there have also been many finding that the family is an unnatural grouping which should only include the type genus, Hypsilophodon, with the other genera being within clades like Thescelosauridae and Elasmaria. A 2014 analysis by Norman recovered a grouping of Hypsilophodon, Rhabdodontidae and Tenontosaurus, which he referred to as Hypsilophodontia. All other analyses from around the same time have instead found these latter taxa to be within Iguanodontia.

Thescelosaurus is an extinct genus of thescelosaurid neornithischian dinosaur that lived at the end of the Late Cretaceous period in North America. It was a member of the last dinosaurian fauna before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event around 66 million years ago.

<i>Notohypsilophodon</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Notohypsilophodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. It was described as the only "hypsilophodont" known from South America, although this assessment is not universally supported, and Gasparinisaura is now believed to have been a basal euornithopod as well.

<i>Orodromeus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Orodromeus is a genus of herbivorous orodromine thescelosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Only one species is known, the type species Orodromeus makelai.

<i>Parksosaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Parksosaurus is a genus of neornithischian dinosaur from the early Maastrichtian-age Upper Cretaceous Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada. It is based on most of a partially articulated skeleton and partial skull, showing it to have been a small, bipedal, herbivorous dinosaur. It is one of the few described non-hadrosaurid ornithopods from the end of the Cretaceous in North America, existing around 70 million years ago.

<i>Yaverlandia</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Yaverlandia is a genus of maniraptoran dinosaur. Known from a partial fossil skull found in Lower Cretaceous strata of the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight. it was described as the earliest known member of the pachycephalosaurid family, but research by Darren Naish shows it to have actually been a theropod, seemingly a maniraptoran. The type species is Y. bitholus.

<i>Zephyrosaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Zephyrosaurus is a genus of orodromine ornithischian dinosaur. It is based on a partial skull and postcranial fragments discovered in the Aptian-Albian-age Lower Cretaceous Cloverly Formation of Carbon County, Montana, USA. New remains are under description, and tracks from Maryland and Virginia, also in the US, have been attributed to animals similar to Zephyrosaurus. It lived approximately 113 mya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neornithischia</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

Neornithischia is a clade of the dinosaur order Ornithischia. It is the sister group of the Thyreophora within the clade Genasauria. Neornithischians are united by having a thicker layer of asymmetrical enamel on the inside of their lower teeth. The teeth wore unevenly with chewing and developed sharp ridges that allowed neornithischians to break down tougher plant food than other dinosaurs.

<i>Laosaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Laosaurus is a genus of neornithischian dinosaur. The type species, Laosaurus celer, was first described by O.C. Marsh in 1878 from remains from the Oxfordian-Tithonian-age Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Wyoming. The validity of this genus is doubtful because it is based on fragmentary fossils. A second species from the Morrison Formation, L. gracilis, and a species from the late Cretaceous Allison Formation of Alberta, Canada, Laosaurus minimus, are also considered dubious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heterodontosauridae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Heterodontosauridae is a family of ornithischian dinosaurs that were likely among the most basal (primitive) members of the group. Their phylogenetic placement is uncertain but they are most commonly found to be primitive, outside of the group Genasauria. Although their fossils are relatively rare and their group small in numbers, they have been found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica, with a range spanning the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dryosauridae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Dryosauridae was a family of primitive iguanodonts, first proposed by Milner & Norman in 1984. They are known from Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous rocks of Africa, Europe, and North America.

<i>Koreanosaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Koreanosaurus is a genus of orodromine neornithischian dinosaur. One species has been described, Koreanosaurus boseongensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elasmaria</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

Elasmaria is a clade of ornithopods known from Cretaceous deposits in South America, Antarctica, and Australia that contains many bipedal ornithopods that were previously considered "hypsilophodonts".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeholosauridae</span> Extinct family of dinosaurs

Jeholosauridae was a group of herbivorous neornithischian dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period. The family was first proposed by Han et al. in 2012. The jeholosaurids were defined as all neornithischians more closely related to Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis than to Hypsilophodon foxii, Iguanodon bernissartensis, Protoceratops andrewsi, Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis, or Thescelosaurus neglectus. The Jeholosauridae includes the type genus Jeholosaurus, and also possibly Yueosaurus, Changchunsaurus, and Haya.

<i>Albertadromeus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Albertadromeus is an extinct genus of orodromine thescelosaurid dinosaur known from the upper part of the Late Cretaceous Oldman Formation of Alberta, Canada. It contains a single species, Albertadromeus syntarsus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Madzia, D.; Arbour, V.M.; Boyd, C.A.; Farke, A.A.; Cruzado-Caballero, P.; Evans, D.C. (2021). "The phylogenetic nomenclature of ornithischian dinosaurs". PeerJ. 9: e12362. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12362 . PMC   8667728 . PMID   34966571.
  2. ↑ Avrahami, Haviv M.; Makovicky, Peter J.; Tucker, Ryan T.; Zanno, Lindsay E. (2024-07-09). "A new semi‐fossorial thescelosaurine dinosaur from the Cenomanian‐age Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah". The Anatomical Record . doi: 10.1002/ar.25505 . ISSN   1932-8486.
  3. ↑ Brown, C.M.; Evans, D.C.; Ryan, M.J.; Russell, A.P. (2013). "New data on the diversity and abundance of small-bodied ornithopods (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Belly River Group (Campanian) of Alberta". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (3): 495–520. doi:10.1080/02724634.2013.746229. S2CID   129160518.
  4. 1 2 Boyd, Clint A. (2015). "The systematic relationships and biogeographic history of ornithischian dinosaurs". PeerJ. 3 (e1523): e1523. doi: 10.7717/peerj.1523 . PMC   4690359 . PMID   26713260.
  5. ↑ Madzia, D.; Boyd, C.A.; Mazuch, M. (2017). "A basal ornithopod dinosaur from the Cenomanian of the Czech Republic". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 16 (11): 967–979. doi:10.1080/14772019.2017.1371258. S2CID   90008574.
  6. ↑ Sues, Hans-Dieter; Norman, David B. (1990). "Hypsilophodontidae, Tenontosaurus, Dryosauridae". In Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka (eds.). The Dinosauria (1st ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 498–509. ISBN   978-0-520-06727-1.
  7. 1 2 Weishampel, David B.; Heinrich, Ronald E. (1992). "Systematics of Hypsilophodontidae and Basal Iguanodontia (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda)" (PDF). Historical Biology. 6 (3): 159–184. doi:10.1080/10292389209380426 . Retrieved 2007-03-10.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Boyd, Clint A.; Brown, Caleb M.; Scheetz, Rodney D.; Clarke, Julia A. (2009). "Taxonomic revision of the basal neornithischian taxa Thescelosaurus and Bugenasaura". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 29 (3): 758–770. doi:10.1671/039.029.0328. S2CID   84273584.
  9. 1 2 Han, Feng-Lu; Paul M. Barrett; Richard J. Butler; Xing Xu (2012). "Postcranial anatomy of Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (6): 1370–1395. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694385. S2CID   86754247.
  10. 1 2 3 Norman, David B.; Sues, Hans-Dieter; Witmer, Larry M.; Coria, Rodolfo A. (2004). "Basal Ornithopoda". In Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; Osmólska, Halszka (eds.). The Dinosauria (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.  393–412. ISBN   978-0-520-24209-8.
  11. 1 2 Weishampel, David B.; Jianu, Coralia-Maria; Csiki, Z.; Norman, David B. (2003). "Osteology and phylogeny of Zalmoxes (n.g.), an unusual euornithopod dinosaur from the latest Cretaceous of Romania". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 1 (2): 1–56. doi:10.1017/S1477201903001032. S2CID   86339025.
  12. 1 2 Varricchio, David J.; Martin, Anthony J.; Katsura, Yoshihiro (2007). "First trace and body fossil evidence of a burrowing, denning dinosaur". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 274 (1616): 1361–1368. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.0443. PMC   2176205 . PMID   17374596.
  13. ↑ Butler, Richard J.; Upchurch, Paul; Norman, David B. (2008). "The phylogeny of the ornithischian dinosaurs". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 6 (1): 1–40. doi:10.1017/S1477201907002271. S2CID   86728076.
  14. 1 2 Brown, Caleb M.; Boyd, Clint A.; Russell, Anthony P. (2011). "A new basal ornithopod dinosaur (Frenchman Formation, Saskatchewan, Canada), and implications for late Maastrichtian ornithischian diversity in North America". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163 (4): 1157–1198. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00735.x .
  15. 1 2 Brown, Caleb Marshall; Evans, David C.; Ryan, Michael J.; Russell, Anthony P. (2013). "New data on the diversity and abundance of small-bodied ornithopods (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Belly River Group (Campanian) of Alberta". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (3): 495–520. doi:10.1080/02724634.2013.746229. S2CID   129160518.
  16. ↑ Herne, Matthew C.; Nair, Jay P.; Evans, Alistair R.; Tait, Alan M. (2019). "New small-bodied ornithopods (Dinosauria, Neornithischia) from the Early Cretaceous Wonthaggi Formation (Strzelecki Group) of the Australian-Antarctic rift system, with revision of Qantassaurus intrepidus Rich and Vickers-Rich, 1999". Journal of Paleontology. 93 (3): 543–584. doi: 10.1017/jpa.2018.95 .
  17. ↑ Buchholz, P. W. (2002). "Phylogeny and biogeography of basal Ornithischia". In Brown, D. E. (ed.). The Mesozoic in Wyoming. Casper: Tate Geological Museum. pp. 18–34.
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