Omosaurus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Omosaurus Temporal range: Late Triassic, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Crurotarsi |
| Genus: | †Omosaurus Leidy, 1856 |
| Species: | †O. perplexus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Omosaurus perplexus Leidy, 1856 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Omosaurus is a dubious genus of extinct crurotarsan reptile, possibly a phytosaur, from the Late Triassic (Carnian) of North Carolina.[1] Only scant remains are known, which makes Omosaurus hard to classify. The type, and only species, Omosaurus perplexus, was named and described in 1856 by Joseph Leidy.[1]
In the middle of the nineteenth century, geologist Professor Ebenezer Emmons discovered several reptilian teeth in the colliery of the Chatham company in North Carolina.[2] In 1856, the fossils in his collection were described by paleontologist Joseph Leidy. Leidy combined the teeth with some vertebrae and ribs; adding to them an osteoderm or scute found in the same strata by Professor Michael Tuomey, he named the whole Omosaurus perplexus.[1] Leidy provided no etymology; the specific name suggests he was intrigued by the "intricate" find. The generic name might be derived from the Greek ὠμός, omos, "rough", perhaps in reference to the rough surface of the scute or to the "savage" nature of a carnivorous reptile. Today, all syntypes are lost.
