Centemodon
Extinct genus of reptiles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Centemodon (meaning "point tooth") is an extinct genus of basal[2] phytosaur from the Late Triassic Period. It lived in what is now Pennsylvania, United States.[2] It is classified as a nomen dubium.[3] It was found in the Red Sandstone Formation near the Schuyklill River.[4] Centemodon may have been related to Suchoprion. It was a small phytosaur, weighing no more than 200 kilograms (440 lb) when fully grown.[2]
| Centemodon Temporal range: Late Triassic, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Phytosauria |
| Genus: | †Centemodon Lea, 1856 |
| Type species | |
| †Centemodon sulcatus | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Discovery and naming
Sometime before the Bone Wars, a palaeontologist known as Dr. Leo (surname unknown) discovered several fossil fragmentary teeth that later became the Centemodon holotype.[2] When Leo described the fragments, he was unsure of what they belonged to, and Leo did not name the fragments. They were eventually named in 1856 by Isaac Lea.[1]
