Aublysodon cristatus
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Aublysodon Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 75 Ma |
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| Illustrations of the teeth by Leidy and O. C. Marsh, 4: A. mirandus 5: "A." amplus 6: "A." cristatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Superfamily: | †Tyrannosauroidea |
| Family: | †Tyrannosauridae |
| Subfamily: |
†Aublysodontinae Nopcsa, 1928 nomen dubium |
| Genus: |
†Aublysodon Leidy, 1868 nomen dubium |
| Type species | |
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†Aublysodon mirandus Leidy, 1868 |
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| Species | |
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†A. mirandus Leidy, 1868 nomen dubium |
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| Synonyms | |
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Ornithomimus mirandus (Leidy, 1868) |
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†A. mirandus Leidy, 1868 nomen dubium
and see text
Ornithomimus mirandus (Leidy, 1868)
Aublysodon (uncertain derivation; perhaps "backwards-flowing tooth"?) is a genus of carnivorous dinosaurs known only from the Judith River Formation in Montana, which has been dated to the late Campanian age of the late Cretaceous period (about 75 million years ago). The only currently recognized species, Aublysodon mirandus, was named by paleontologist Joseph Leidy in 1868. It is now considered dubious, because the type specimen consists only of an isolated premaxillary (front) tooth. Although this specimen is now lost, similar teeth have been found in many US states, western Canada, and Asia. These teeth almost certainly belong to juvenile tyrannosaurine tyrannosaurids, but most have not been identified to species level. However, it is likely that the type tooth (and therefore the name Aublysodon mirandus itself) belongs to one of the species in the genus Daspletosaurus, which was present in contemporary formations, and which matches specific details of the original tooth. The synapomorphies alleged to distinguish the Aublysodontinae, especially lack of serrations on premaxillary teeth could have been caused by tooth wear in life, postmortem abrasion, or digestion. Most other "aublysodontine"-type teeth may be from ontogenetic stages or sexual morphs of other tyrannosaurids.
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