Albisaurus
Encyclopedia
Albisaurus was once thought to be a genus
of dinosaur
, but is now thought to be a non-dinosaurian archosaur
. It was first described by Antonin Fritsch
(also spelt Frič), a Czech
palaeontologist, in 1893, but the remains are sparse. The validity of the species
cannot be proven based on the fossil
remains, and it is usually marked as a nomen dubium
.
The generic name Albisaurus is derived from the Latin
albus (albi-); after the River Albis, as it was known in Roman
times, now the Bílé Labe (or "White Elbe"), a part of the Elbe
River system, which flows through the western Czech Republic, near a site where the type fossils were found; plus the Greek
sauros meaning "lizard
". Fritsch originally published the name as Iguanodon albinus in 1893. After re-evaluating the fossils, however, he decided they were distinct from Iguanodon. In 1905, he published a new name for this material, calling it Albisaurus.
The type species
is Albisaurus albinus. The specific name albinus is derived from the Latin albus (alb-), "white, bright", and the Latin suffix -inus; "belonging to", alluding to the modern-day Bile Labe of the western Czech Republic, known during the rule of the Roman Empire for the purity and clarity of the water. A second species, A. scutifer, was actually the original type species, but, as A. albinus is thought to be the same thing, A. scutifer was sunk into the older name.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
, but is now thought to be a non-dinosaurian archosaur
Archosaur
Archosaurs are a group of diapsid amniotes whose living representatives consist of modern birds and crocodilians. This group also includes all extinct non-avian dinosaurs, many extinct crocodilian relatives, and pterosaurs. Archosauria, the archosaur clade, is a crown group that includes the most...
. It was first described by Antonin Fritsch
Antonin Fritsch
Antonin Fritsch was a Czech paleontologist, biologist and geologist, living during the Austria–Hungary era. Professor at the Charles University and later became director of the National Museum in Prague...
(also spelt Frič), a Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
palaeontologist, in 1893, but the remains are sparse. The validity of the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
cannot be proven based on the fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
remains, and it is usually marked as a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
.
The generic name Albisaurus is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
albus (albi-); after the River Albis, as it was known in Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times, now the Bílé Labe (or "White Elbe"), a part of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
River system, which flows through the western Czech Republic, near a site where the type fossils were found; plus the Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
sauros meaning "lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
". Fritsch originally published the name as Iguanodon albinus in 1893. After re-evaluating the fossils, however, he decided they were distinct from Iguanodon. In 1905, he published a new name for this material, calling it Albisaurus.
The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Albisaurus albinus. The specific name albinus is derived from the Latin albus (alb-), "white, bright", and the Latin suffix -inus; "belonging to", alluding to the modern-day Bile Labe of the western Czech Republic, known during the rule of the Roman Empire for the purity and clarity of the water. A second species, A. scutifer, was actually the original type species, but, as A. albinus is thought to be the same thing, A. scutifer was sunk into the older name.