Peloroplites
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Peloroplites Temporal range: Early Cretaceous-Late Cretaceous, 104.46–98.37 Ma |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | †Ornithischia |
| Family: | †Nodosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Polacanthinae |
| Genus: |
†Peloroplites Carpenter et al., 2008 |
| Species: | †P. cedrimontanus |
| Binomial name | |
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Peloroplites cedrimontanus Carpenter et al., 2008 |
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Peloroplites (from Greek pelor "monster", and hoplites, "armoured soldier") is a genus of nodosaurid armored dinosaur from Lower Cretaceous rocks of Utah. It is known from a partial skull and partial postcranial remains from the base of the Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation, deposited during the Albian-Cenomanian boundary, about 104.46 to 98.37 million years ago, and was found in Emery County, Utah. It was named in 2008 by Kenneth Carpenter and colleagues.
Peloroplites was about 5 to 5.5 meters (16 to 18 ft) long, comparable to its approximate contemporary Sauropelta. It is one of the largest known nodosaurids, and came from a time when ankylosaurians in general were attaining large sizes.
Peloroplites is based on CEUM 26331, a partial skull, with numerous postcranial bones recovered from the same quarry. These specimens were designated paratypes. The type species is P. cedrimontanus, in reference to the Cedar Mountain Formation.
The skull was about 56 centimeters (22 inches) long, and 35.5 centimeters (14.0 inches) wide between the eyes. It lacked beak teeth, and had only modest horn-like projections. The top of the skull was only slightly domed, and the only preserved upper cheek tooth was large and similar to teeth assigned to Priconodon, another large nodosaurid from about the same time. The lower jaws are represented by their rear halves, and were heavily built.
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