Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fabrosauridae, the basal family of ornithischian dinosaurs (Reptilia: Ornithopoda)

  • Published:
Paläontologische Zeitschrift Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In fabrosaurids the upper jaw is flat and the lower jaw is slender so the ’cheek’ teeth are marginal and not inset as is the case in all other ornithischian dinosaurs. The ’cheek’ teeth of fabrosaurids have anteroposteriorly expanded crowns but lack wear surfaces formed by tooth to tooth contact. Two genera are recognized from the Triassic-Jurassic boundary of Lesotho with good material previously referred toFabrosaurus as a new genus that represents the most conservative ornithopod described to date. The anatomy ofNanosaurus (Upper Jurassic, U.S.A.) andEchinodon (Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, England) is redescribed; in both genera the tooth bearing bone of the lower jaw is deepened posteriorly and inEchinodon there is a true canine tooth in the upper jaw.

Zusammenfassung

Bei den Fabrosauridae ist der Oberkiefer flach und der Unterkiefer schlank gebaut, so daß die »Backenzähne« randlich stehen und nicht wie bei allen anderen Ornithischiern eingelassen sind. Die »Backenzähne« haben in der Längsrichtung gestreckte Kronen, aber keine durch Zahnkontakt gebildete Abkauflächen. Das von der Trias-Jura-Grenze in Lesotho (= Basutoland) bisher alsFabrosaurus beschriebene Material umfaßt eine weitere Gattung(Lesothosaurus n. gen.), welche den altertümlichsten bisher bekannten Ornithopoden darstellt. Die Anatomie vonNanosaurus (Oberjura U.S.A.) undEchinodon (Jura-Kreide-Grenze, England) wird neu beschrieben. Der zahntragende Unterkieferknochen beider Gattungen ist rückwärts eingetieft, während sich im Oberkiefer vonEchinodon außerdem ein richtiger Eckzahn findet.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature

  • Bonaparte, J. F. (1976):Pisanosaurus mertii Casamiquela and the origin of the Ornithischia. - J. Paleont.,50: 808–820; Lawrence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casey, R. (1963): The dawn of the Cretaceous Period in Britain. - Bull. S.-East. Un. Scient. Socs.;117: 1–15; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1971): Facies, faunas and tectonics in late Jurassic - early Cretaceous Britain. - In: Middlemiss, F. A. et al. [Eds.]: Faunal Provinces in Space and Time. Geol. J. Spec. Issue,4: 153–168; Liverpool.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charig, A. J. (1967): Subclass Archosauria. - In: Harland, W. B. et al. [Eds.]: The fossil record: 708–718, 725–731; London. - [Geological Society].

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1972): The evolution of the archosaur pelvis and hind limb: an explanation in functional terms. - In: Joysey, K. A. & Kemp, T. S. [Eds.]: Studies in vertebrate evolution (essays presented to Dr. F. R. Parrington, F. R. S.); Edinburgh (Oliver and Boyd).

    Google Scholar 

  • Charig, A. J. &Crompton, A. W. (1974): The alleged synonymy ofLycorhinus andHetereodontosaurus.- S. Afr. Mus. Ann.,64: 167–189; Cape Town.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodson, M. H., Rex, D. C., Casey, R., &Allen, P. (1964): Glauconite dates from the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous. - In: The Phanerozoic time-scale: A symposium. Q. J. geol. Soc;1205: 145–158; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dutuit, J.-M. (1972): Découvert d’un Dinosaure ornithischien dans le Trias supérieur de l’Atlas occidental marocian. - C. R. Acad. Sci. ser. D.,275: 2841–2844; Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmund, A. G. (1957): On the special foramina in the jaws of many ornithischian dinosaurs. - Roy. Ont. Mus. Div. Zool. & Paleont. Contr.,48: 1–14; Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galton, P. M. (1970): The posture of hadrosaurs. - J. Paleont.,44: 464–473; Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1972): Classification and evolution of ornithopod dinosaurs. - Nature,239: 464–466; London.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • — (1973): The cheeks of ornithischian dinosaurs. - Lethaia,6: 67–89; Oslo.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • — (1974a): Notes onThescelosaurus, a conservative ornithopod from the Upper Cretaceous of North America, with comments on ornithopod classification. - J. Paleont.,48: 1048–1067; Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1974b): The ornithischian dinosaurHypsilophodon from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight. - Bull. Brit. Mus. (Natur. Hist.) Geol.,25: 1–152c; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1975): Review of English hypsilophodontid dinosaurs (Reptilia: Ornithischia). - Palaeontology,18: 741–751; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1977): The ornithopod dinosaurDryosaurus and a Laurasia-Gondwanaland connection in the Upper Jurassic. - Nature,268: 230–232; London.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galton, P. M., &Jensen, J. A. (1973): Skeleton of a hypsilophodontid dinosaur(Nanosaurus (?)rex) from the Upper Jurassic of Utah. - Brigham Young Univ. geol. Stud.,20 (4): 137–157; Provo, Utah.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ginsburg, L. (1964): sDécouvert d’un Scélidosaurien (Dinosaure ornithischien) dans le Trias supérieur du Basutoland. - C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris,258: 2366–2368; Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huene, F. V., &Lull, R. S. (1908): Neubeschreibung des Originals vonNanosaurus agilis Marsh. -N. Jb. Miner. Geol. u. Paläont.,1908: 134–144; Stuttgart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kermack, K.A., &Clemens, W. A. (1967): Non-therian mammal and Theria. - In: Harland, W. B. et al. [Eds.]: The fossil record: 763–766; London. - [Geological Society]

    Google Scholar 

  • Lydekker, R. (1888): Catalogue of the fossil Reptilia and Amphibia in the British Museum (Natural History) Part 1. — 309p.; London.

  • Marsh, O. C. (1877a): Notice of some new vertebrate fossils. - Amer. J. Sci., (3)14: 249–256; New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1877b): Notice of new dinosaurian reptiles from the Jurassic Formation. - Amer. J. Sci., (3)14: 514–516; New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1878a): Notice of new dinosaurian reptiles. - Amer. J. Sci., (3)15: 241–244; New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1878b): Principal characters of American Jurassic dinosaurs. - Amer. J. Sci., (3)16: 411–416; New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1894): The typical Ornithopoda of the American Jurassic. - Amer. J. Sci. (3)48: 85–90; New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1896): The dinosaurs of North America. - 16th Ann. Report U. S. Geol. Surv. 1894-95 (1): 133–244; Washington.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1897): Vertebrate fossils of the Denver Basin. - U.S. Geol. Surv. Monogr.,27: 473 to 527; Washington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, W. L. (1976): Hypsilophodont dinsaurs: a new species and comments on their phylo- geny. - In: Churcher, C. S. [Eds.]: Athlon. Essays in Palaeontology in Honour of Loris Shano Russell: 93–113; Toronto.

  • Olsen, P. E. &Galton, P. M. (1977): Triassic-Jurassic tetrapod extinctions: are they real? - Science,197: 983–986; Washington.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owen, R. (1861a): On the Reptilia of the Wealden and Purbeck formations. Part 5. - Palaeont. Soc. (Monogr.),12: 31–39; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1861b): The fossil Reptilia of the Liassic formations. Part 1. - Palaeont. Soc. (Monogr.),13: 1–14; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1863): The fossil Reptilia of the Liassic formations. Part 2. - Palaeont. Soc. (Monogr.),14: 1–26; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1874): Monograph on the fossil Reptilia of the Wealden and Purbeck formations. Suppl. 5.Iguanodon. -Palaeont. Soc. (Monogr.),27: 1–18; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parks, W. A. (1926):Thescelosaurus warreni, a new species of ornithopodous dinosaur from the Edmonton Formation of Alberta. - Univ. Toronto Stud. geol. Ser.,21: 1–42; Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rixon, A. E. (1968): The development of the remains of a smallScelidosaurus from Lias nodule. - Mus. J.,67: 315–321; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schuchert, C. (1939): The geologic horizon of the dinosaursHallopus andNanosaurus agilis. - Am. J. Sci.,237: 19–26; New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thulborn, R. A. (1970): The skull ofFabrosaurus australis, a Triassic ornithischian dinosaur. - Palaeontology,13: 414–432; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1971): Tooth wear and jaw action in the Triassic ornithischian dinosaurFabrosaurus. - J. Zool.,164: 165–179; London.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • — (1972): The post-cranial skeleton of the Triassic ornithischian dinosaurFabrosaurus australis. -Palaeontology,15: 29–60; London.

    Google Scholar 

  • — (1974): A new heterodontodaurid dinosaur (Reptilia: Ornithischia) from the Upper Triassic Red Beds of Lesotho. - Zool. J. Linn. Soc.,55: 151–175; London.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • — (1977): Relationships of the Lower Jurassic dinosaurScelidosaurus harrisonii. - J. Paleont.,51: 725–739; Lawrence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, A. D. (1970): A revision of the Jurassic reptileHallopus victor (Marsh), with remarks on the classification of crocodiles. - Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc.,257: 323–372; London.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, T. E. (1973): Catalogue of the genera of dinosaurs. - Ann. Carnegie Mus.,44: 117 to 155; Pittsburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williston, S. W. (1905): TheHallopus, Baptanodon andAtlantosaurus beds of Marsh. - J. Geol.,13: 338–350; Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

Literature

  • Thulborn, R. A. (1973): Contribuiçāo para o conchecimento da Fauna do Kimeridgiano da Mina de Lignito Guimarota (Leiria, Portugal) III Parte. VI - Teeth of ornithischian dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal with description of a hypsilophodontid(Phyllodon henkeli gen. et sp. nov.) from the Guimarota Lignite. - Mem. Serv. Geol Port. (N. S.),22: 89–134; Lisbon.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Bridgeport, 06602, Bridgeport, CT, USA

    Peter M. Galton

Authors
  1. Peter M. Galton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Galton, P.M. Fabrosauridae, the basal family of ornithischian dinosaurs (Reptilia: Ornithopoda). Paläont. Z. 52, 138–159 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03006735

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03006735

Keywords

Search

Navigation