Wakinosaurus
Extinct genus of dinosaurs
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Wakinosaurus (meaning "Wakino lizard") is a genus of possible carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Barremian) Sengoku Formation of Kyushu, Japan. The genus is a tooth taxon, based solely on the middle section of a single tooth.[1]
| Wakinosaurus Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Genus: | †Wakinosaurus Okazaki, 1992 |
| Species: | †W. satoi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Wakinosaurus satoi Okazaki, 1992 | |
Discovery and naming
In 1990 the ice hockey player Masahiro Sato in Fukuoka found the tooth of a theropod. The same year Yoshihiko Okazaki first reported on the find.[1] In 1992 Okazaki named the type species, Wakinosaurus satoi. The generic name refers to the Wakino Subgroup of the Kwanmon Group, of which the Sengoku Formation is a member. The specific name honours Sato.[2]
Description
Classification
Wakinosaurus was initially described as a megalosaurid but is today considered a nomen dubium and an indeterminate neotheropod. The holotype tooth is similar to a leaf with fine cutting serrations on both edges and according to Okazaki, it is similar to those of "Prodeinodon" kwangshiensis, which is also a dubious tooth taxon. In 2020, it was suggested that Wakinosaurus may represent a basal carcharodontosaurid theropod similar to Acrocanthosaurus.[4]
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