Zanclodon Temporal range: Middle Triassic, 237–235 Ma |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Subclass: | Archosauromorpha |
Infraclass: | Archosauriformes |
Genus: |
Zanclodon Plieninger, 1846 |
Type species | |
Smilodon laevis Plieninger, 1846 |
Zanclodon ("scythe tooth") is an extinct genus of archosaurian found in Middle Triassic deposits in southern Germany.
Zanclodon was originally named Smilodon by Plieninger (1846), but this name had previously been used for the saber-toothed cat (a preoccupied name), prompting Plieninger to erect the replacement name Zanclodon. It was formerly placed in the Teratosauridae, within the Theropoda, and at times, plateosaurid material was mistakenly referred to Zanclodon (see Galton 2001). The type species, Zanclodon laevis, is based on a left maxilla that represents an indeterminate archosaurian. Therefore, the genus is not unambiguously identifiable.