Cetiosauriscus
Encyclopedia
Cetiosauriscus is a genus
of sauropod dinosaur
. It was perhaps a diplodocid, a close relative of Diplodocus
, and lived in the Callovian
(Middle to Late Jurassic
Period) of England
(about 162 million years ago (mya). Cetiosauriscus was a quadruped
al, herbivorous
, saurischia
n dinosaur
.
Cetiosauriscus was first named by German palaeontologist Friedrich von Huene
, in 1927, as the generic name of the species Cetiosauriscus leedsi. In 1887 John Whittaker Hulke had named the species Ornithopsis
leedsii, based on specimen BMNH R.1984-1988, a set of bones from the Leeds collection. After a suggestion by Harry Govier Seeley, in 1905 this species was renamed to Cetiosaurus
leedsi by Arthur Smith Woodward
who referred a second specimen from the same collection to the species: BMNH R.3078. Both specimina were assigned to Cetiosauriscus leedsi by von Huene. In 1929 he also renamed Cetiosaurus greppini, a species found in Switzerland
, Cetiosauriscus greppini.
In 1980 Alan Jack Charig
concluded that BMNH R.3078 could not be referred to BMNH R.1984-1988, due to a lack of comparable bones, and created a new species for the former: Cetiosauriscus stewarti. The specific name honours Sir Ronald Stewart, the chairman of the London Brick Company which owned the clay pit the fossils had been found in. Furthermore he considered both C. leedsi and C. greppini nomina dubia
.
In 1990 John Stanton McIntosh renamed two more species of Cetiosaurus into Cetiosauriscus longus and Cetiosauriscus glymptonensis respectively. Both were again considered nomina dubia by Charig, who in 1993 petitioned the ICZN
to make Cetiosauriscus stewarti the type species
instead of the original Cetiosauriscus leedsi. This was done in 1995, making BMNH R.3078, already the holotype
of the species C. stewarti, the genoholotype of the genus Cetiosauriscus.
BMNH R.3078 was found at Peterborough
, Cambridgeshire
, in strata of the Upper Oxford Clay
and consists of a series of vertebrae from the rear half of the skeleton. Other remains, including a front leg, have been referred to C. stewarti. It has been estimated that this creature stood six metres high and was fifteen metres in length, weighing about nine tonnes.
It may have been preyed on by carnivores such as Megalosaurus
and Eustreptospondylus
.
Von Huene originally classified Cetiosauriscus as a member of the Cardiodontinae within the Cetiosauridae. In 1978 McIntosh concluded it belonged tot the Diplodocidae because of double chevrons under its caudal vertebrae, the short front legs and a tabular bump on the lower end of its first metatarsal. This would make Cetiosauriscus the oldest known diplodocid. Other researchers have suggested it could have belonged to the Mamenchisauridae
instead, which group also features double chevrons.
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 sauropod 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...
. It was perhaps a diplodocid, a close relative of Diplodocus
Diplodocus
Diplodocus , or )is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur whose fossils were first discovered in 1877 by S. W. Williston. The generic name, coined by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878, is a Neo-Latin term derived from Greek "double" and "beam", in reference to its double-beamed chevron bones...
, and lived in the Callovian
Callovian
In the geologic timescale, the Callovian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic, lasting between 164.7 ± 4.0 Ma and 161.2 ± 4.0 Ma. It is the last stage of the Middle Jurassic, following the Bathonian and preceding the Oxfordian....
(Middle to Late Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
Period) of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(about 162 million years ago (mya). Cetiosauriscus was a quadruped
Quadruped
Quadrupedalism is a form of land animal locomotion using four limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet"...
al, herbivorous
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
, saurischia
Saurischia
Saurischia meaning 'lizard' and ischion meaning 'hip joint') is one of the two orders, or basic divisions, of dinosaurs. In 1888, Harry Seeley classified dinosaurs into two orders, based on their hip structure...
n 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...
.
Cetiosauriscus was first named by German palaeontologist Friedrich von Huene
Friedrich von Huene
Friedrich von Huene was a German paleontologist who named more dinosaurs in the early 20th century than anyone else in Europe.-Biography:...
, in 1927, as the generic name of the species Cetiosauriscus leedsi. In 1887 John Whittaker Hulke had named the species Ornithopsis
Ornithopsis
Ornithopsis was a medium-sized Early Cretaceous sauropod dinosaur, from England. It has been considered a synonym of the wastebasket taxon Pelorosaurus, but recent research suggests that this is not as clear-cut as supposed...
leedsii, based on specimen BMNH R.1984-1988, a set of bones from the Leeds collection. After a suggestion by Harry Govier Seeley, in 1905 this species was renamed to Cetiosaurus
Cetiosaurus
Cetiosaurus meaning 'whale lizard', from the Greek cetus/κητος meaning 'sea monster' and saurus/σαυρος meaning 'lizard', was a sauropod dinosaur from the Mid to Late Jurassic Period in what are now Europe and Africa. It is estimated to have been about long and to have weighed roughly...
leedsi by Arthur Smith Woodward
Arthur Smith Woodward
Sir Arthur Smith Woodward was an English palaeontologist.-Biography:Woodward was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England and was educated there and at Owens College, Manchester. He joined the staff of the Department of Geology at the Natural History Museum in 1882. He became assistant Keeper of...
who referred a second specimen from the same collection to the species: BMNH R.3078. Both specimina were assigned to Cetiosauriscus leedsi by von Huene. In 1929 he also renamed Cetiosaurus greppini, a species found in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Cetiosauriscus greppini.
In 1980 Alan Jack Charig
Alan J. Charig
Alan Jack Charig was an English palaeontologist and writer who popularised his subject on television and in books at the start of the wave of interest in dinosaurs in the 1970s....
concluded that BMNH R.3078 could not be referred to BMNH R.1984-1988, due to a lack of comparable bones, and created a new species for the former: Cetiosauriscus stewarti. The specific name honours Sir Ronald Stewart, the chairman of the London Brick Company which owned the clay pit the fossils had been found in. Furthermore he considered both C. leedsi and C. greppini nomina dubia
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
.
In 1990 John Stanton McIntosh renamed two more species of Cetiosaurus into Cetiosauriscus longus and Cetiosauriscus glymptonensis respectively. Both were again considered nomina dubia by Charig, who in 1993 petitioned the ICZN
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 28 members from 20 countries, mainly practicing zoological taxonomists...
to make Cetiosauriscus stewarti 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...
instead of the original Cetiosauriscus leedsi. This was done in 1995, making BMNH R.3078, already the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
of the species C. stewarti, the genoholotype of the genus Cetiosauriscus.
BMNH R.3078 was found at Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, in strata of the Upper Oxford Clay
Oxford Clay
The Oxford Clay Formation is a Jurassic marine sedimentary rock formation underlying much of southeast England, from as far west as Dorset and as far north as Yorkshire. The Oxford Clay is of middle Callovian to lower Oxfordian age and comprises 2 main facies. The lower facies comprises the...
and consists of a series of vertebrae from the rear half of the skeleton. Other remains, including a front leg, have been referred to C. stewarti. It has been estimated that this creature stood six metres high and was fifteen metres in length, weighing about nine tonnes.
It may have been preyed on by carnivores such as Megalosaurus
Megalosaurus
Megalosaurus is a genus of large meat-eating theropod dinosaurs of the Middle Jurassic period of Europe...
and Eustreptospondylus
Eustreptospondylus
Eustreptospondylus is a genus of megalosaurid dinosaur, from the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic period in southern England, at a time when Europe was a series of scattered islands Eustreptospondylus ("well-curved vertebra", in reference to the arrangement of the spine in the original...
.
Von Huene originally classified Cetiosauriscus as a member of the Cardiodontinae within the Cetiosauridae. In 1978 McIntosh concluded it belonged tot the Diplodocidae because of double chevrons under its caudal vertebrae, the short front legs and a tabular bump on the lower end of its first metatarsal. This would make Cetiosauriscus the oldest known diplodocid. Other researchers have suggested it could have belonged to the Mamenchisauridae
Mamenchisauridae
Mamenchisauridae is an extinct family of sauropod dinosaurs. The family was first named by Chinese paleontologists C.C. Young and H.C. Chao in 1972, in a paper describing Mamenchisaurus. Other mamenchisaurids may include Bellusaurus, Chuanjiesaurus, Eomamenchisaurus, Hudiesaurus, Klamelisaurus,...
instead, which group also features double chevrons.
External links
- Cetiosauriscus in The Dinosaur Encyclopaedia at Dino Russ' Lair