[D] Aletopelta coombsi [sG] [T]
Describer
Ford & Kirkland, 2001
Time
Cretaceous Late Campanian
Classification
Ornithischia Thyreophora Eurypoda Ankylosauria Ankylosauridae
Diet
Herbivore
Fossilsite
Point Loma Formation, northeast of the Plomar/McClellan Airport in the City of Carlsbad,northern San Diego County, California, US
Length
4 meter
Info
Genus - Typespecies
Ethymology: Greek aletus = \\\"wandering\\\" + Greek pelte = \\\"shield\\\"
Holotype SDNHM 33909 discovered in 1987 first reported by Coombs and Demere (1996) as an undiagnostic nodosaurid. A. coombsi is founded upon a partial skeleton from marine strata, including eight teeth, fragmantary scapulae, partial humerus, partial ulna, possible fragment of ?right ?raduis, ulna, partial left and ?right ischium, femora, tibiae, fibulae, four or five partial vertebrae, dorsal neural arch, neural arch of sacrum, fragmentary ribs, partial armour over pelvic girdles in situ, at least sixty detached armour plates, numerous indeterminate fragments (most embedded in the matrix) many probably broken ribs or armor, ?subadult. The dermal armor consisted of thick shoulder patches and spikes, low keeled lateral plates, and an interlocking mosaic of polygonal ossicles that covered the entire pelvic region.
Diagnosis of genus (as for the type species) Medium sized ankylosaurid, teeth wider than tall, femur much longer than tibia and fibula; three metatarsals; ilia covered in sutured, pylogonal, low-peaked scutes set in mosaic patteren; massive, short-pointed spike in shoulder region; hollow caplike scutes across back; hollow \\\"pup tent-like\\\" scutes over neck and shoulders; triangular, dorsally compressed caudal scutes, these highly symmetrical top to bottum; allmost all osteoderms hollow, thin (Ford and Kirkland, 2001)