[D] Saurophagus maximus ? [Sa] [jG]
Describer
Stovall vide Ray, 1941 / Swainson, 1831
Time
Jurassic Late
Classification
Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae Carnosauria Allosauridae
Diet
Carnivore
Fossilsite
Morrison Formation. Oklahoma, US
Fall Under
Allosaurus
Info
Genus
Allosaurus (Marsh, 1877) = Creosaurus (Marsh, 1878) Epanterias (Cope, 1878) Labrosaurus (Marsh, 1879) ?Saurophagus (Ray, 1941)
Allosaurus > Allosaurus fragilis (Marsh, 1877) Laelaps trihedrodon (Cope, 1877) Creosaurus atrox (Marsh, 1878) Epanteris amplexus (Cope, 1878) Hypsirhophus discurus (1) [partim] (Cope, 1878) Allosaurus lucaris (Marsh, 1878) Allosaurus ferox (Marsh, 1896) ?Saurophagus maximus (Ray, 1941) ?Labrosaurus ferox (Marsh, 1884) Camptosaurus amplus (Marsh, 1879) = Camptonotus amplus (Marsh, 1879) Allosaurus whitei (Pickering, 1995)
Allosaurus > ?Allosaurus tendagurensis (Janensch, 1925)
Allosaurus > Allosaurus europaeus (Mateus, Walen and Antunes 2006)
Saurophagus (\\\\\\\"reptile eater\\\\\\\") may well be referrable to Acrocanthosaurus . Although relatively little is known of spinosaurids as a whole, the extraordinary height of the spines does require some explanation. Named to indicate an extremely large carnivorous allosaur, possibly distinct from Allosaurus, and perhaps the same as Epanterias the name as originally published appears to be a nomen nudum. (Preoccupied by Saurophagus Swainson, 1831.)
This fossil presents a rather difficult nomenclatural situation. On the one hand the generic name is preoccupied, leaving it without a valid genus. The generic name Saurophagus is a junior homonym of another Saurophagus described by Swainson in 1831. (Saurophagus maximus was described in 1914). However, the material made the basis of the genus Saurophaganax has usually been refered to this species, and certainly shows some similarity to it. This species however is probably indeterminate, and thus cannot be reasonably made a senior synonym of any other species. This means that it cannot be easily accomodated in Saurophaganax .
Known material
Fragmentary cranial remains including right postorbital, two partial quadrates, thrce poorly preserved tooth crowns, vertebral remains including atlas, cervicals, dorsal. neural arch, caudal centra, and chevrons, pelvic elements including iliuni, ischium, and pubis, forelimb elements including hurnerus, and manual digits with claws, hind limb including femur, pes, representing at least two individuals of equal size; also, lnucll as yet unidentified or unpublished matcrial.
Holotype
OMNH 01123, middorsal neural arch.