[D] Astrodon [sG]
Describer
Johnston, 1859
Time
Cretaceous Early Hauterivian Barremian
Classification
Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Sauropoda Titanosauria Incertae Sedis
Diet
Herbivore
Fossilsite
US
Typespecies
Astrodon johnstoni
Info
Genus
Astrodon (Johnston, 1859) (= Astrodonius, Kuhn, 1961 / Astrodontaurus Johnston, 1858 vide Kranz, 2004) > Astrodon johnstoni (Leidy, 1865) > Astrodon nanus (Gilmore, 1921) >> Pleurocoelus nanus (Marsh, 1888) Astrodon johnstoni (Leidy, 1865) > Astrodon altus (Gilmore, 1921) >> Pleurocoelus altus (Marsh, 1888)
Johnston briefly mentioned the teeth of a \\\"thecodont saurian\\\" he named Astrodon in a paper on the teeth of Hadrosaurus, but provided no description. He sectioned one tooth for viewing under a microscope, and the name Astrodon alludes to the rather starburst-like \\\"multitude of minute tubuli radiating from the narrow elliptical section of the pulp cavity\\\" as later described and illustrated by Leidy. The external form of the teeth was spoon-shaped, typical of brachiosaurids. Treated by some researchers as a valid senior synonym of Pleurocoelus (marsh, 1888). The original Type of \\\"Astrodon\\\" consists of three teeth from the Arundel Formation that are housed in the Yale Peabody Museum collections, in New Haven, Connecticut.
Carpenter & Tidwell (2005) Reassessment of the Early Cretaceous Sauropod Astrodon johnstoni, Leidy 1865 (Titanosauriformes) in: Thunder Lizards eds. V. Tidwell & K. Carpenter Indiana University Press pp. 78-114
Abstract: Sauropod material from the Arundel Formation (Aptian-Albian boundary) of Maryland has been variously referred to Astrodon johnstoni Leidy 1865 or to Pleurocoelus nanus Marsh 1888. Most of the specimens are juvenile as demonstrated by the small size of the bones, the lack of neurocentral fusion, absence of an olecranon, and underdevelopment of muscle scars. Contrary to some recent statements, the Aurundel sauropod is diagnostic. Only a single sauropod taxon is present in the Arundel Formation, to which the name Astrodon johnstoni must be used under the Principle of the First Reviser of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.