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84-563: Euoplocephalus ( / j uː ˌ ɒ p l oʊ ˈ s ɛ f əl ə s / yoo- OP -loh- SEF -ə-ləs ) is a genus of large herbivorous ankylosaurid dinosaurs , living during the Late Cretaceous of Canada . It has only one named species, Euoplocephalus tutus . The first fossil of Euoplocephalus was found in 1897 in Alberta . In 1902, it was named Stereocephalus , but that name had already been given to an insect, so it

168-412: A dissertation containing a landmark re-appraisal of North American ankylosaurs. He noted that, among the many specimens similar to Euoplocephalus , their skulls varied so much that either every known specimen must be a new species, or they all represented individual variation within a single species: Euoplocephalus tutus . Starting from this assumption that there was only one species of ankylosaur during

252-557: A species : see Botanical name and Specific name (zoology) . The rules for the scientific names of organisms are laid down in the nomenclature codes , which allow each species a single unique name that, for animals (including protists ), plants (also including algae and fungi ) and prokaryotes ( bacteria and archaea ), is Latin and binomial in form; this contrasts with common or vernacular names , which are non-standardized, can be non-unique, and typically also vary by country and language of usage. Except for viruses ,

336-408: A butterfly-like arrangement of the sacral fenestrae, and in having ischia that articulate with the ilia at right angles. The holotype specimen of Dyoplosaurus preserves ossified tendons on the tail club. The tail club preserves three series of tendons on the dorsolateral sides of the handle, and four on the distal, ventral side of the tail. These tendons are more readily grouped into two sets on

420-515: A dozen different ways in formal scientific literature. The specific name tutus means "safely protected" in Latin . The only valid species known today is Euoplocephalus tutus . During the early twentieth century many more ankylosaurid fossils were uncovered in North America. Some were referred to Euoplocephalus , others named as separate genera. In 1971 however, Walter Coombs submitted

504-651: A later homonym of a validly published name is a nomen illegitimum or nom. illeg. ; for a full list refer to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants and the work cited above by Hawksworth, 2010. In place of the "valid taxon" in zoology, the nearest equivalent in botany is " correct name " or "current name" which can, again, differ or change with alternative taxonomic treatments or new information that results in previously accepted genera being combined or split. Prokaryote and virus codes of nomenclature also exist which serve as

588-460: A length of 411 millimetres and a width of 478 millimetres. Most skull elements are completely fused and two skull openings normally present with dinosaurs, the antorbital fenestra and the upper temporal fenestra, have closed. The skull has nineteen to twenty-four teeth in each upper jaw. The frontmost snout bone, the premaxilla , is toothless. The teeth are very small, with a maximal height and width of just 7.5 millimetres. The strongly drooping snout

672-628: A long time and redescribed as new by a range of subsequent workers, or if a range of genera previously considered separate taxa have subsequently been consolidated into one. For example, the World Register of Marine Species presently lists 8 genus-level synonyms for the sperm whale genus Physeter Linnaeus, 1758, and 13 for the bivalve genus Pecten O.F. Müller, 1776. Within the same kingdom, one generic name can apply to one genus only. However, many names have been assigned (usually unintentionally) to two or more different genera. For example,

756-436: A lower layer, possibly consisting of ossified cartilage, as indicated by a smooth surface and a woven bone texture. Each half-ring is constructed out of six rectangular concave plates, three per side. Each plate has a large keeled osteoderm on top, often not fused with it. With Euoplocephalus , these neck osteoderms do not have smaller osteoderms at their bases, and their keels do not overhang their posterior edges. The armor of

840-439: A number of almost complete skeletons, so nevertheless much is known about the build of the animal. Euoplocephalus reached 5.3 metres (17 ft) in length and 2 metric tons (2.2 short tons) in body mass. Its body was low-slung and very flat and wide, standing on four sturdy legs. Its head had a short drooping snout with a horny beak to bite off plants that were digested in the large gut. Like other ankylosaurids, Euoplocephalus

924-531: A partial skull roof, mandible fragments with teeth, osteoderms, skin impressions, articulated post-thoracic vertebrae, partial thoracic ribs, a partial ilium, both ischia, tail club, associated radius, metacarpal, femur, tibia, fibula, and pes. The holotype is currently housed at the Royal Ontario Museum . Two specimens were referred to Dyoplosaurus , ROM 7761 and UA 47273, and both consist of partial tail clubs. The generic name, Dyoplosaurus ,

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1008-409: A reference for designating currently accepted genus names as opposed to others which may be either reduced to synonymy, or, in the case of prokaryotes, relegated to a status of "names without standing in prokaryotic nomenclature". An available (zoological) or validly published (botanical) name that has been historically applied to a genus but is not regarded as the accepted (current/valid) name for

1092-413: A shorter rear blade of the ilium. Euoplocephalus differs from Ankylosaurus in possessing anteriorly directed external nostrils and in lacking a continuous keel between the squamosal horn and the supraorbitals. The skull of Euoplocephalus resembles a truncated equilateral triangle when viewed from above, and is slightly wider than it is long. The largest known skull, that of specimen AMNH 5403, has

1176-432: A single specimen. If the armor was configured in an identical way to that of Scolosaurus , many of these small ossicles had fused into a kind of pavement, forming transverse bands on the body. The banded arrangement is thought to have permitted some freedom of movement. Four of these bands might have been present on the anterior half of the tail, three on the pelvis, perhaps fused into a single "sacral shield", and four across

1260-417: A tail club knob that is longer than wide. It differs from Scolosaurus in having a proportionately shorter postacetabular process of the ilium and triangular osteoderms on the lateral sides of the anterior portion of the tail. Dyoplosaurus also differs from Euoplocephalus in the pelvis as it has anterolaterally projecting, ventrally directed sacral transverse processes on the third sacral vertebra, forming

1344-427: A taxon; however, the names published in suppressed works are made unavailable via the relevant Opinion dealing with the work in question. In botany, similar concepts exist but with different labels. The botanical equivalent of zoology's "available name" is a validly published name . An invalidly published name is a nomen invalidum or nom. inval. ; a rejected name is a nomen rejiciendum or nom. rej. ;

1428-455: A total of c. 520,000 published names (including synonyms) as at end 2019, increasing at some 2,500 published generic names per year. "Official" registers of taxon names at all ranks, including genera, exist for a few groups only such as viruses and prokaryotes, while for others there are compendia with no "official" standing such as Index Fungorum for fungi, Index Nominum Algarum and AlgaeBase for algae, Index Nominum Genericorum and

1512-623: A valid taxon and proposed that the synonymy was due to the fragmentary nature of the holotype and other referred specimens of Euoplocephalus . Thompson et al., 2011 confirmed its separation and recovered it as sister taxon to Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus . A cladistic analysis conducted by Arbour and Currie , 2015 recovered Dyoplosaurus as sister taxon to a clade containing Ankylosaurus , Euoplocephalus , Anodontosaurus and Scolosaurus , while an analysis conducted by Arbour and Evans, 2017 recovered it as sister taxon to Zuul . A phylogenetic analysis conducted by Arbour & Evans, 2017

1596-579: Is a dubious tooth taxon from the late Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, named by Lambe in 1902. It consists of a single tooth, specimen NMC 1349. In 2013 Arbour limited the specimens that could be reliably referred to Euoplocephalus to the lowest thirty metres of the Dinosaur Park Formation. The material would in that case, apart from the holotype, consist of partial skeletons with skull AMNH 5337, AMNH 5403, AMNH 5404, AMNH 5405, ROM 1930 and UALVP 31; partial skeleton lacking

1680-507: Is also a valid taxon; according to Arbour, Anodontosaurus differs from Euoplocephalus in distinctive skull and cervical half ring ornamentation, as well as tail club morphology, including the presence of pointed, triangular knob osteoderms in Anodontosaurus . Furthermore, Arbour (2010) suggested to reassign all Horseshoe Canyon Formation ankylosaurine specimens from Euoplocephalus to Anodontosaurus . The validity of Anodontosaurus

1764-416: Is blunt, wide and high, and filled with very complex air passages and sinuses, the form and function of which are not yet completely understood. Each side has two external nostrils. The lower jaw has a very concave upper rim with twenty-one teeth. At its front a short low extension is present, to provide contact with the wide predentary, the bony core of the lower horny beak, that fitted within the upper beak of

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1848-533: Is derived from the Greek words “dyo” (double), “hoplon” (weapon, shield, armour) and “sauros” (lizard). The specific name, acutosquameus , is derived from the Latin words “acutus” (sharp) and “squama” (scale). In 1956, Evgeny Maleev named a second species of Dyoplosaurus : D. giganteus . The species was based on the very large specimen PIN 551/29, which consists of a series of caudal vertebrae, metatarsals, phalanges and osteoderms including tail club knob from

1932-612: Is discouraged by both the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants , there are some five thousand such names in use in more than one kingdom. For instance, A list of generic homonyms (with their authorities), including both available (validly published) and selected unavailable names, has been compiled by the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). The type genus forms

2016-438: Is made up of at least seven cervical vertebrae , at least eleven "free" dorsal vertebrae, typically four sacrodorsals forming a fused "sacral rod" in front of the sacrum proper, three "true" sacral vertebrae, and between one and four caudosacrals. Like with other ankylosaurians, the last four dorsal vertebrae and the first caudal vertebra are thus fused to the sacrum, forming a reinforced synsacrum of at least eight vertebrae,

2100-647: Is now the Dinosaur Park Formation . Dyoplosaurus represents a close relative of Scolosaurus and Anodontosaurus , two ankylosaurids known from the Horseshoe Canyon and Dinosaur Park Formation. The holotype specimen was obtained in 1919 from the bottom ten metres of the Dinosaur Park Formation by Levi Sternberg, near what is now the Red Deer River in Alberta , Canada . The holotype specimen, ROM 784 , consists of

2184-452: Is present, in the form of an enormous tongue-shaped osteoderm projecting below. Canadian paleontologist Lawrence Morris Lambe discovered the first specimen on 18 August 1897 in the area of the present Dinosaur Provincial Park , in the valley of the Red Deer River , Alberta, Canada. In 1902, this fossil , CMN 210 (also NMC 210) was designated as the holotype specimen of the type species Stereocephalus tutus . This specimen consists of

2268-417: Is reproduced below. Crichtonpelta Tsagantegia Zhejiangosaurus Pinacosaurus Saichania Tarchia Zaraapelta Dyoplosaurus Talarurus Nodocephalosaurus Ankylosaurus Anodontosaurus Euoplocephalus Scolosaurus Ziapelta The holotype specimen of Dyoplosaurus was recovered from the base of the Dinosaur Park Formation, which dates to

2352-564: Is reproduced below. Zhejiangosaurus luoyangensis Pinacosaurus grangeri Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus Tsagantegia longicranialis Talarurus plicatospineus Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis Saichania chulsanensis Zaraapelta nomadis Tarchia kielanae Ziapelta sanjuanensis Euoplocephalus tutus Ankylosaurus magniventris Anodontosaurus lambei Scolosaurus cutleri Zuul crurivastator Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus The results of an earlier analysis by Arbour & Currie, 2015

2436-460: Is somewhat arbitrary. Although all species within a genus are supposed to be "similar", there are no objective criteria for grouping species into genera. There is much debate among zoologists about whether enormous, species-rich genera should be maintained, as it is extremely difficult to come up with identification keys or even character sets that distinguish all species. Hence, many taxonomists argue in favor of breaking down large genera. For instance,

2520-474: Is the type species , and the generic name is permanently associated with the type specimen of its type species. Should the specimen turn out to be assignable to another genus, the generic name linked to it becomes a junior synonym and the remaining taxa in the former genus need to be reassessed. In zoological usage, taxonomic names, including those of genera, are classified as "available" or "unavailable". Available names are those published in accordance with

2604-446: Is very robust with strongly expanded upper and lower joints, combined with a narrow shaft. On the upper shaft an enormous deltopectoral crest is present of which the lower part does not gradually merge with the shaft but is warped to the front, forming a thick knob or lip. All this indicates a very heavy musculature. In the lower arm the robust ulna has a well-developed olecranon process . The wrist and hand bones are not well known. In

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2688-621: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ; the earliest such name for any taxon (for example, a genus) should then be selected as the " valid " (i.e., current or accepted) name for the taxon in question. Consequently, there will be more available names than valid names at any point in time; which names are currently in use depending on the judgement of taxonomists in either combining taxa described under multiple names, or splitting taxa which may bring available names previously treated as synonyms back into use. "Unavailable" names in zoology comprise names that either were not published according to

2772-824: The International Plant Names Index for plants in general, and ferns through angiosperms, respectively, and Nomenclator Zoologicus and the Index to Organism Names for zoological names. Totals for both "all names" and estimates for "accepted names" as held in the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG) are broken down further in the publication by Rees et al., 2020 cited above. The accepted names estimates are as follows, broken down by kingdom: The cited ranges of uncertainty arise because IRMNG lists "uncertain" names (not researched therein) in addition to known "accepted" names;

2856-475: The Nemegt Formation of Mongolia . The species was diagnosed based on the short anterior caudal vertebrae; large chevrons that were fused to the caudal vertebrae; low, long distal caudal vertebrae; short, wide metatarsals; thick, hoofed-shaped unguals; sharp, thin-walled osteoderms with numerous pits and channels on the external surface. However, a 2014 study by Arbour and colleagues considered that

2940-659: The Stegosauria , a group then encompassing all armoured dinosaur forms and thus having a much wider range than the present concept. In 1917, Charles Whitney Gilmore assigned it to the Ankylosauridae . Today, Euoplocephalus is still seen as an ankylosaurid, but as a member of the Ankylosauria , not the Stegosauria. It is likely also a member of the derived subgroup Ankylosaurinae . The recent splitting of

3024-403: The pelvis , the front blade of the ilium splayed out to the front, reaching all the way to the widest point of the belly to support the gut. This blade also forms a bone shelf at the rear side of the body. The rear blade of the ilium is shorter than the diameter of the hip socket it was located behind, meaning the leg is located at the rear end of the pelvis, near the tail base and much closer to

3108-404: The platypus belongs to the genus Ornithorhynchus although George Shaw named it Platypus in 1799 (these two names are thus synonyms ) . However, the name Platypus had already been given to a group of ambrosia beetles by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1793. A name that means two different things is a homonym . Since beetles and platypuses are both members of the kingdom Animalia,

3192-574: The Campanian stage of the Upper Cretaceous, Coombs synonymized the genera Anodontosaurus , Dyoplosaurus , and Scolosaurus with Euoplocephalus and the species A. lambei , D. acutosquameus , and S. cutleri with E. tutus , creating a species that spanned nearly ten million years, or the entire Campanian . The fossils now referred to this species contained more than forty individuals discovered in Alberta , Canada and Montana in

3276-473: The French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) is considered "the founder of the modern concept of genera". The scientific name (or the scientific epithet) of a genus is also called the generic name ; in modern style guides and science, it is always capitalised. It plays a fundamental role in binomial nomenclature , the system of naming organisms , where it is combined with the scientific name of

3360-566: The United States, which would have made Euoplocephalus the best known ankylosaurid. This included fifteen skulls, teeth, and a few almost-complete skeletons, found with the armor still attached. Individual armor plates are the most commonly found element from them. In 1978, Coombs even included the Asian ankylosaurid Tarchia in the genus, renaming it as Euoplocephalus giganteus . The synonymy of all Campanian North-American ankylosaurids

3444-450: The ankylosaurid Campanian material of North America has complicated the issue of the direct affinities of Euoplocephalus . Penkalski (2013) performed a small phylogenetic analysis of some ankylosaurine specimens. The only Anodontosaurus specimen that was included in this analysis was its holotype. Anodontosaurus was placed in a polytomy with the holotype of Euoplocephalus and some specimens that are referred to it, while Oohkotokia

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3528-591: The ankylosaurid tree by Thompson et al. (2011), is shown by this cladogram. Minmi Liaoningosaurus Cedarpelta Gobisaurus Shamosaurus Tsagantegia Zhongyuansaurus Shanxia Crichtonsaurus Dyoplosaurus Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus Ankylosaurus Genus The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomists . The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including

3612-442: The base for higher taxonomic ranks, such as the family name Canidae ("Canids") based on Canis . However, this does not typically ascend more than one or two levels: the order to which dogs and wolves belong is Carnivora ("Carnivores"). The numbers of either accepted, or all published genus names is not known precisely; Rees et al., 2020 estimate that approximately 310,000 accepted names (valid taxa) may exist, out of

3696-421: The bases of the large osteoderms on the first cervical half-ring, but, contrary to that genus, does in top view have large rounded osteoderms at the sides of the tail club. It differs from Dyoplosaurus in possessing sacral ribs that perpendicularly point outwards. It differs from Scolosaurus in possessing keeled osteoderms with a round or oval base on the top and sides of the first cervical half-ring and having

3780-474: The distance between the rear maxillary , upper cheek, teeth rows. The foot has three digits, metatarsals with toes. In 2013, Victoria Arbour and Phil Currie provided a differential diagnosis, setting Euoplocephalus apart from its nearest relatives. When compared with Anodontosaurus and Scolosaurus , Euoplocephalus lacks round osteoderms at the base of the squamosal and quadratojugal horns. Compared with Anodontosaurus it lacks small osteoderms at

3864-402: The dorsolateral sides. Arbour, 2009 conducted a study to determine the impact force of ankylosaurids and used ROM 784. Arbour found that Dyoplosaurus could generate an impact force of 797–1127 N and a more realistic tensions of 571 N, an impact force that isn’t enough to puncture bone. This is mainly due to the knob being smaller in comparison to that of other ankylosaurids. The small size of

3948-419: The eye sockets the caputegulae fuse into a single bone surface. The upper rim of the eye sockets is formed by two pyramid-shaped osteoderms pointing to the sides and rear. In addition, Euoplocephalus had two pyramid -shaped squamosal "horns" growing from the back corners of its head. Between them the nuchal crest is covered by two osteoderms per side. At the lower rear side of the skull, a quadratojugal horn

4032-446: The form "author, year" in zoology, and "standard abbreviated author name" in botany. Thus in the examples above, the genus Canis would be cited in full as " Canis Linnaeus, 1758" (zoological usage), while Hibiscus , also first established by Linnaeus but in 1753, is simply " Hibiscus L." (botanical usage). Each genus should have a designated type , although in practice there is a backlog of older names without one. In zoology, this

4116-439: The form of the palpebral bones (small bones over the eyes), which may have served as bony eyelids; the shallowness of the nasal vestibule at the entrance of the nasal cavity; the medial curve of the tooth rows in the upper jaw; and the teeth, which are relatively small, lacking true cingula , and having variable fluting of the denticles . However, these traits are shared with a number of closely related forms, some of which in

4200-415: The front part of the torso. Inset in these bands were horizontal rows of larger oval, flat or keeled, scutes. Types of large scutes varied by body region. It might be that the scutes on the shoulder, near the midline of the body, were largest and tallest; ROM 1930 includes some osteoderms with a base length of fifteen centimeters. Little is known about the armor of the limbs. Large keeled plates were present on

4284-737: The generic name (or its abbreviated form) still forms the leading portion of the scientific name, for example, Canis lupus lupus for the Eurasian wolf subspecies, or as a botanical example, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus . Also, as visible in the above examples, the Latinised portions of the scientific names of genera and their included species (and infraspecies, where applicable) are, by convention, written in italics . The scientific names of virus species are descriptive, not binomial in form, and may or may not incorporate an indication of their containing genus; for example,

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4368-522: The genus Palaeoscincus Leidy 1856, coining a Palaeoscincus tutus . Today however, Palaeoscincus is considered to be a nomen dubium based on indeterminate ankylosaurian teeth. In 1964, Euoplocephalus was by Oskar Kuhn referred to Ankylosaurus , as a Ankylosaurus tutus . The genus name Euoplocephalus , meaning "well-armed head", is derived from the Greek words eu (εὖ) meaning "well", hoplo ~ (ὁπλο~) meaning "armed", and kephale (κεφαλή) meaning "head". This name has been misspelled more than

4452-515: The holotype lacked diagnostic traits, as such traits are present in all ankylosaurines , and considered the species to be a nomen dubium . Dyoplosaurus has an estimated body length of approximately 4–4.5 metres (13–15 ft) and body mass of 1.2 metric tons (1.3 short tons). All referred specimens represent almost fully mature individuals. Dyoplosaurus can be distinguished from all other ankylosaurids in having sacral ribs that are anterolaterally-directed, triangular unguals in dorsal view and

4536-432: The idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: Moreover, genera should be composed of phylogenetic units of the same kind as other (analogous) genera. The term "genus" comes from Latin genus , a noun form cognate with gignere ('to bear; to give birth to'). The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum , but

4620-633: The largest component, with 23,236 ± 5,379 accepted genus names, of which 20,845 ± 4,494 are angiosperms (superclass Angiospermae). By comparison, the 2018 annual edition of the Catalogue of Life (estimated >90% complete, for extant species in the main) contains currently 175,363 "accepted" genus names for 1,744,204 living and 59,284 extinct species, also including genus names only (no species) for some groups. The number of species in genera varies considerably among taxonomic groups. For instance, among (non-avian) reptiles , which have about 1180 genera,

4704-439: The latter genus, little is known of the exact configuration of the armor, with the exception of the head and the neck. The most informative specimen in this respect would then be ROM 1930, having conserved some osteoderms of the torso in their original position. In any case, much of the armor was made up of small ossicles, bony round scutes with a diameter of less than five millimetres, of which often hundreds have been found with

4788-421: The limbs and possibly the distal tail. The armor consisted of osteoderms , skin ossifications that are not part of the skeleton proper. This armor was in 1982 extensively described by Kenneth Carpenter , who however, largely based himself on the very complete specimen NHMUK R5161, the holotype of Scolosaurus , which genus no longer is seen as a synonym of Euoplocephalus . When limited to the certain material of

4872-399: The lizard genus Anolis has been suggested to be broken down into 8 or so different genera which would bring its ~400 species to smaller, more manageable subsets. Dyoplosaurus Dyoplosaurus (meaning “double-armoured lizard”) is a monospecific genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur from Alberta that lived during the Late Cretaceous (middle Campanian , ~76.5–75 Ma) in what

4956-440: The middle Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous . The lower Dinosaur Park Formation consist primarily of dryland habitats with modified channel-fills that experienced impeded drainage in the lower horizons and were subject to frequent flooding while more distal reaches of the floodplain, flooding was less frequent. Dyoplosaurus would have coexisted with the ankylosaurs Edmontonia , Euoplocephalus , and Scolosaurus ,

5040-485: The midline than the belly sides. The pubic bone is unknown. The ischium is a short, curved, vertically positioned bone strap. The thighbone is short, robust and straight with a low fourth trochanter positioned below the midpoint of the shaft. The robust shinbone is shorter than the thighbone. The foot is not well known but functionally tridactyl with hoof-shaped instead of sharp claws. The head and body of Euoplocephalus were covered with bony armor, except for parts of

5124-403: The most (>300) have only 1 species, ~360 have between 2 and 4 species, 260 have 5–10 species, ~200 have 11–50 species, and only 27 genera have more than 50 species. However, some insect genera such as the bee genera Lasioglossum and Andrena have over 1000 species each. The largest flowering plant genus, Astragalus , contains over 3,000 species. Which species are assigned to a genus

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5208-428: The name could not be used for both. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published the replacement name Ornithorhynchus in 1800. However, a genus in one kingdom is allowed to bear a scientific name that is in use as a generic name (or the name of a taxon in another rank) in a kingdom that is governed by a different nomenclature code. Names with the same form but applying to different taxa are called "homonyms". Although this

5292-430: The past have been included in the genus. Combining such forms, Walter Coombs and Teresa Maryańska in 1990 stated that Euoplocephalus could be distinguished based on four traits. The premaxillae , the front snout bones, are not covered by dermal ossifications. The external bony nostrils are slit-like, face to the front and are each divided by a vertical bone sheet or septum. The beak has a width equal to or greater than

5376-541: The provisions of the ICZN Code, e.g., incorrect original or subsequent spellings, names published only in a thesis, and generic names published after 1930 with no type species indicated. According to "Glossary" section of the zoological Code, suppressed names (per published "Opinions" of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature) remain available but cannot be used as the valid name for

5460-551: The right side have been lost via erosion. In 1971, Walter Coombs synonymized Dyoplosaurus , along with Scolosaurus and Anodontosaurus , into Euoplocephalus as one of the four mandibles assigned to Dyoplosaurus was identical to those of other Euoplocephalus specimens, but did not offer any other characteristics to support the synonymization. However, a re-description of Dyoplosaurus published in 2009 by Victoria Arbour , Michael Burns and Robin Sissons considered it as

5544-408: The skull AMNH 5406; CMN 842, a cervical half-ring; CMN 8876, a skull, TMP 1979.14.74, a fragmentary skull; and UALVP 47977, a skull roof piece. The hands, feet and tail, including the club, are therefore not completely known. However, many of those specimens have now been reassigned to other, new taxa, including Scolosaurus and Platypelta , and others. In 1910, Lambe assigned Euoplocephalus to

5628-399: The skull consists of a large number of ossicles, called caputegulae ("head tiles"), that have fused with the normal skull elements, largely fading their sutures . On the snout they form a chaotic and asymmetric mosaic. On the rear nasal region, at the midline a single hexagonal larger plate is present. A keeled plate per side, somewhat more to the back forms the snout rim. Behind the level of

5712-441: The snout. As in most quadrupedal ornithischians, its neck is moderately short. The scapula is massive and robust, and the very robust forelimbs are shorter than the hindlimbs. The tail is long and ends in a bony club. Old restorations of Euoplocephalus and rejected synonyms ( Dyoplosaurus , Scolosaurus ) often show a club with two large vertical spikes. This is an error based on a restoration of Scolosaurus by Franz Nopcsa ;

5796-497: The specific name particular to the wolf. A botanical example would be Hibiscus arnottianus , a particular species of the genus Hibiscus native to Hawaii. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by subspecies names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany . When the generic name is already known from context, it may be shortened to its initial letter, for example, C. lupus in place of Canis lupus . Where species are further subdivided,

5880-417: The specimen he used had an incomplete tail that stopped just beyond the pair of conical spikes now known to have been positioned halfway along its length. He restored the tail as ending just after the spines. Other artists combined the spikes with the tail club, compounding the inaccuracy. The narrow distal half of the tail is stiffened by bundles of ossified tendons . The vertebral column of Euoplocephalus

5964-423: The spines of which form a fused supraneural plate, also incorporating the zygapophyses . There are at least twenty-one caudal vertebrae; the total number of caudal vertebrae is uncertain because approximately ten are fused to form part of the tail club, bringing the total to about thirty. This fusion is also seen in other ankylosaurids; it is possible that the extent of fusion is an age-related feature. The humerus

6048-412: The standard format for a species name comprises the generic name, indicating the genus to which the species belongs, followed by the specific epithet, which (within that genus) is unique to the species. For example, the gray wolf 's scientific name is Canis lupus , with Canis ( Latin for 'dog') being the generic name shared by the wolf's close relatives and lupus (Latin for 'wolf') being

6132-496: The tail club of suggests that ankylosaurid knobs were not primarily used as defensive weapons, as a weapon that is not functional until very late in life would probably not have a selective advantage over a weapon that is of use earlier in life. The holotype specimen preserves remnants of fossilized skin and osteoderms on the left side. These skin impressions are punctuated by a nearly unbroken mosaic of small (0.50–1.0 cm), sub-angular to subrounded osteoderms. The skin impressions on

6216-403: The taxon is termed a synonym ; some authors also include unavailable names in lists of synonyms as well as available names, such as misspellings, names previously published without fulfilling all of the requirements of the relevant nomenclatural code, and rejected or suppressed names. A particular genus name may have zero to many synonyms, the latter case generally if the genus has been known for

6300-406: The upper arms as shown by specimen TMP 1997.132.01 conserving a round osteoderm near the humerus with a diameter of twenty centimeters and narrower spikes associated with the lower arm. The neck was protected by two bone rings, open at the underside, that are called "cervical half-rings". Earlier seen as a fusion of osteoderms, this was doubted by Arbour et al. in 2013, who pointed out that they formed

6384-667: The upper part of a cranium and a transverse series of five scutes that were part of a cervical half ring. The generic name was derived from Greek στερεός, stereos , "solid", and κεφαλή, kephalè , "head", which refers to the formidable armour. However, the genus name was already preoccupied — the name had already been given to an insect, the beetle Stereocephalus Lynch 1884 — so Lambe changed it to Euoplocephalus in 1910, with as combinatio nova (new combination name) Euoplocephalus tutus . The type species remains Stereocephalus tutus . In 1915, Edwin Hennig classified E. tutus under

6468-576: The values quoted are the mean of "accepted" names alone (all "uncertain" names treated as unaccepted) and "accepted + uncertain" names (all "uncertain" names treated as accepted), with the associated range of uncertainty indicating these two extremes. Within Animalia, the largest phylum is Arthropoda , with 151,697 ± 33,160 accepted genus names, of which 114,387 ± 27,654 are insects (class Insecta). Within Plantae, Tracheophyta (vascular plants) make up

6552-429: The virus species " Salmonid herpesvirus 1 ", " Salmonid herpesvirus 2 " and " Salmonid herpesvirus 3 " are all within the genus Salmonivirus ; however, the genus to which the species with the formal names " Everglades virus " and " Ross River virus " are assigned is Alphavirus . As with scientific names at other ranks, in all groups other than viruses, names of genera may be cited with their authorities, typically in

6636-406: Was about 5.3 metres (17 ft) long and weighed about 2 metric tons (2.2 short tons). Like other ankylosaurids, it had a very broad and flat low-slung torso, about four feet high, positioned on four short legs. The skull of Euoplocephalus can be distinguished from most other ankylosaurids by several anatomical details, including: the pattern of bony sculpturing in the region in front of the eyes;

6720-413: Was accepted in two subsequent studies. The first, published by Paul Penkalski and William T. Blows in 2013, re-validated Scolosaurus as well. The second study, by Penkalski (2013), named and described Oohkotokia from Montana on the basis of remains that were originally thought to be referable to Euoplocephalus . Palaeoscincus asper , "the rough one", is now considered to be Euoplocephalus . It

6804-484: Was changed in 1910. Later, many more ankylosaurid remains were found from the Campanian of North America and often made separate genera. In 1971, Walter Coombs concluded that they all belonged to Euoplocephalus , which then make it one of the best-known dinosaurs. Recently, however, experts have come to the opposite conclusion, limiting the authentic finds of Euoplocephalus to about a dozen specimens. These include

6888-571: Was followed for several decades, until scientists from the University of Alberta began to re-examine the fossils. A 2009 study found that Dyoplosaurus is in fact a valid taxon, and identified unique characteristics that differentiated it from Euoplocephalus , including its triangular claws. Victoria Arbour (2010) argued that Anodontosaurus (known from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation) is distinct from Euoplocephalus and

6972-450: Was largely covered by bony armor plates, among them rows of large high-ridged oval scutes. The neck was protected by two bone rings. It could also actively defend itself against predators like Albertosaurus , Daspletosaurus , and Gorgosaurus using a heavy club at the end of its tail. Among the ankylosaurids, Euoplocephalus was exceeded in size only by Ankylosaurus , and perhaps Tarchia and Cedarpelta . Euoplocephalus

7056-634: Was placed in a clade with Dyoplosaurus , and specimens that are thought to represent either Dyoplosaurus or Scolosaurus . The following cladogram is based on a 2015 phylogenetic analysis of the Ankylosaurinae conducted by Arbour and Currie: Crichtonpelta Tsagantegia Zhejiangosaurus Pinacosaurus Saichania Tarchia Zaraapelta Dyoplosaurus Talarurus Nodocephalosaurus Ankylosaurus Anodontosaurus Euoplocephalus Scolosaurus Ziapelta The results of an earlier analysis of

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