{"title":"A re-evaluation of Scelidosaurus remains from Ireland and the importance of apomorphy-based identifications","authors":"Kieran G. Satchell","doi":"10.1016/j.pgeola.2024.03.002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><em>Scelidosaurus</em> is a herbivorous dinosaur belonging to the ornithischian clade Thyreophora. Until recently, its distribution was limited to the cliffs of Charmouth, on the south coast of Dorset, United Kingdom. In 2021, a fragmentary specimen from Lower Jurassic strata in Northern Ireland (BELUM K3998) was referred tentatively to <em>Scelidosaurus</em>. This bone, the proximal end of a femur, was suggested to be an ornithischian based on several characteristics, including gross morphology and osteohistology. This study reassesses these characteristics, and finds no evidence to support their use for identifying this specimen as either an ornithischian or <em>Scelidosaurus</em>. With the most comprehensive studies on <em>Scelidosaurus</em> finding no autapomorphies of the proximal femur, this study regards BELUM K3998 as Dinosauria indet. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of apomorphy-based approaches in taxonomy and the benefits of such methodologies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49672,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Geologists Association","volume":"135 3","pages":"Pages 349-351"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Proceedings of the Geologists Association","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016787824000087","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Earth and Planetary Sciences","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Scelidosaurus is a herbivorous dinosaur belonging to the ornithischian clade Thyreophora. Until recently, its distribution was limited to the cliffs of Charmouth, on the south coast of Dorset, United Kingdom. In 2021, a fragmentary specimen from Lower Jurassic strata in Northern Ireland (BELUM K3998) was referred tentatively to Scelidosaurus. This bone, the proximal end of a femur, was suggested to be an ornithischian based on several characteristics, including gross morphology and osteohistology. This study reassesses these characteristics, and finds no evidence to support their use for identifying this specimen as either an ornithischian or Scelidosaurus. With the most comprehensive studies on Scelidosaurus finding no autapomorphies of the proximal femur, this study regards BELUM K3998 as Dinosauria indet. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of apomorphy-based approaches in taxonomy and the benefits of such methodologies.
期刊介绍:
The Proceedings of the Geologists'' Association is an international geoscience journal that was founded in 1859 and publishes research and review papers on all aspects of Earth Science. In particular, papers will focus on the geology of northwestern Europe and the Mediterranean, including both the onshore and offshore record. Following a long tradition, the PGA will focus on: i) a range of article types (see below) on topics of wide relevance to Earth Sciences ii) papers on aspects of Earth Science that have societal relevance including geoconservation and Earth management, iii) papers on palaeoenvironments and palaeontology of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, iv) papers on aspects of Quaternary geology and climate change, and v) papers on the history of geology with particular reference to individuals that have shaped the subject. These topics will also steer the content of the themes of the Special Issues that are published in the PGA.