Describer

Weishampel & Bjork, 1989

Time

Cretaceous Early Barremian

Classification

Ornithischia Ornithopoda

Diet

Herbivore

Fossilsite

Lakota Formation, South Dakota, US

Info

Skull

Dakotadon lakotaensis (Weishampel & Bjork, 1989) - Iguanodon lakotaensis (Weishampel & Bjork, 1989)

Holotype

SDSM 8656

Skull, mandible.vertebrae

Basal Iguanodon lakotaensis is not a member of Iguanodon and accordingly is assigned the new genus Dakotadon gen. nov. (holotype SDSM 8656). Dakotadon (Paul, 2007) is probably basal to Iguanodon and not an iguanodontoid.

Emended diagnosis

(Paul, 2007) Ventral margin of premaxilla not below maxilla, maxillary process of premaxilla deep. Dorsal midline trough in nasals. Dorsal apex of maxilla near middle of element. Antorbital fossa and fenestra large. Lacrimal long, does not contact maxilla posterior to antorbital fossa. Dentary moderately deep, diastema absent. Tooth positions 19 in maxilla.

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Carpenter & Ishida (2010) Early and “Middle” Cretaceous Iguanodonts in Time and Space Journal of Iberian Geology 36 (2) 145-164

Dakotadon lakotaensis (Weishampel and Bjork 1989)

Locality

north of Sturgis, South Dakota, USA.

Horizon

Chilson Member, Lakota Formation.

Age

Valanginian (Sohn, 1979; Dahlstrom and Fox,1995; Somes and Cifelli in press).

Comment

Brill and Carpenter (2006) provided the first accurate image of the skull previously called Iguanodon lakotaensis by Weishampel and Bjork (1989). They noted that the skull differed significantly from Iguanodon and recommended that a new genus be established for it, which was done by Paul (2006). No ilium is known.