Barilium & Hypselospinus

[Tim Williams <tijawi@yahoo.com>]

This paper is more of an appetizer, but there is still plenty of meat.  Within 
this short review Norman erects two new Wealden iguanodontian genera: 
_Barilium_ ("heavy ilium") and _Hypselospinus_ ("high spines").


Norman, D. (2010) A taxonomy of iguanodontians (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from 
the lower Wealden Group (Cretaceous: Valanginian) of southern England.  Zootaxa 
2489: 47â66


Abstract

"This short review discusses current understanding of the history, anatomy and 
taxonomy of the lower Wealden Group aged (Valanginian ~141â137 Ma) 
iguanodontian dinosaurs from southern England.  English Wealden iguanodontian 
taxonomy has been the subject of comment and scrutiny since the latter half of 
the 19th century.  As proposed over two decades ago, iguanodontians recovered 
from quarries across this geographic region can be subdivided into anatomically 
and chronologically distinct assemblages.  A review of the lower Wealden Group 
(Valanginian) assemblage (formerly understood to comprise the relatively poorly 
known and understood taxa _Iguanodon dawsoni_, _Iguanodon fittoni_ and 
_Iguanodon hollingtoniensis_) establishes the presence of two diagnosable taxa: 
_Barilium dawsoni_ (Lydekker, 1888) comb. nov. and _Hypselospinus fitton_ 
(Lydekker, 1889) comb. nov.  The upper Wealden Group (HauterivianâLower Aptian) 
assemblage comprises _Iguanodon
 bernissartensis_ and _Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis_.  Recent suggestions 
concerning the creation of additional new Wealden Group taxa reflect systemic 
misunderstandings of the actual skeletal material.  A detailed taxonomic review 
of all Wealden Group iguanodontians is in preparation."

Thus, we have:

Lower Wealden Group (Valanginian):
   _Barilium dawsoni_ & _Hypselospinus fittoni_

Upper Wealden Group (HauterivianâLower Aptian)
   _Iguanodon bernissartensis_ & _Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis_


Norman "tacitly" accepts the validity of _Mantellisaurus_; but the validity (or 
otherwise) of the genus _Dollodon_ will apparently be addressed in a 
forthcoming paper.  



Cheers

Tim