Picrodon Explained

Picrodon is the name given to a genus of archosaur, possibly a sauropodomorph dinosaur,[1] from the Rhaetian of England which was possibly synonymous with the dubious archosaur Avalonianus. The type, and only species, P. herveyi, was named in 1898.[2]

Discovery and naming

In 1894, W. A. Sanford described the fossil remains of what he considered to be two large reptiles discovered near Westbury-on-Severn, Glastonbury (Westbury Formation) by Eev. Sydenham H. A. Hervey and Sanford himself.[3] Harry Govier Seeley described the fossils and named two genera: Avalonia (preoccupied; now Avalonianus) and Picrodon; both are based solely on teeth.

Only a single tooth, holotype BMNH R2875, belonging to P. herveyi is known, making the remains not sufficient enough to make judgments on its diet or its classification; although it is agreed that Picrodon was an archosaur to some degree.

Classification

Sanford (1894) classified Picrodon as a reptile, while Seeley (1898) classified Picrodon as a saurian. More modern research however almost certainly places Picrodon within Archosauria; Peter Malcolm Galton (1985) suggested that Picrodon may have been a basal sauropodomorph. Currently, its exact phylogenetic placement within Archosauria remains unknown.

Notes and References

  1. Galton. Peter M.. 1985. Notes on the Melanorosauridae, a family of large Prosauropod Dinosaurs (Saurischia: Sauropodomorpha). Geobios. 18. 5. 671–676. 10.1016/s0016-6995(85)80065-6. 1985Geobi..18..671G . 0016-6995.
  2. H. G. Seeley. 1898. On large terrestrial saurians from the Rhaetic Beds of Wedmore Hill, described as Avalonia sanfordi and Picrodon herveyi. Geological Magazine, decade 4 5:1-6
  3. Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological Society - vol. xl, 1894, p. 234