Zanclodon laevis
Creators: name: Fernández, Omar Rafael Regalado
name: Stöhr, Henrik
name: Kästle, Benedikt
name: Werneburg, Ingmar
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Zanclodon
Zanclodon laevis

description: Zanclodon laevis (Plieninger, 1846)
Smilodon laevis Plieninger, 1846a: 152.
Zanclodon plieningeri Fraas, 1896: 18 [objective synonym].
Belodon plieningeri – Plieninger 1849: 171; 1852: 389.
non Zanclodon crenatus Plieninger, 1846 – Fraas 1896: 18.
non Zanclodon suevicus (Meyer, 1861) – Fraas 1896: 18.
non Zanclodon arenaceus Fraas, 1896: 18.
Type material
Lectotype
GERMANY • a fragmentary maxilla; Swäbisch Hall, Gaildorf, Erfurt Formation of Germany (Ladinian, Middle Triassic); SMNS 6045.
Remarks
The material collected from the Knollenmergel near Aixheim before 1850 was first referred to as Zanclodon laevis by Plieninger (1847: 207) and then as Belodon plieningeri (Plieninger 1849: 171; 1852: 389). However, Quenstedt (1885) continued to refer to the material housed in the Palaeontological Collection as Zanclodon laevis (species 8 in Fig. 3). Fraas (1896: 18) argued that because in palaeontology and geology, the designation by Quenstedt was so commonplace, the term Zanclodon laevis should be transferred to the material in Tübingen to designate the dinosaur material from the Knollenmergel. Fraas (1896) then erected the name Zanclodon plieningeri to refer to the fragmentary maxilla SMNS 6045. This decision was challenged by von Huene (1907: 187–190), who suggested Zanclodon laevis should be restricted only to the fragmentary maxilla SMNS 6045. For taxonomic stability, Zanclodon laevis is restricted only to the maxilla SMNS 6045, and Zanclodon plieningeri is an objective synonym of Zanclodon laevis. The material in the GPIT collection is an assortment of presumed archosaur remains removed from Zanclodon.
The species Zanclodon crenatus refers to very fragmentary teeth (von Huene 1907: 239, figs 258–262) that Fraas (1896) identified as belonging to Belodon Meyer, 1844. The material comes from the type locality of Zanclodon laevis (Gaildorf). Belodon is currently considered a valid name of genus of phytosaur. Then this specific name should be removed from Zanclodon. Belodon crenatus is likely a nomen dubium.
Teratosaurus suevicus (species 28 in Fig. 3) was erected by von Meyer (1861) and recombined by Fraas (1896) as Zanclodon laevis to designate a large maxilla. This material is removed from Zanclodon.
Zanclodon arenaceus was erected by Fraas (1896) to identify a fragmentary lower jaw that was similar in morphology to Z. laevis. However, this identification is unsubstantiated, and the generic placement is left open, as suggested by Hungerbühler (2001).
description: Published as part of Fernández, Omar Rafael Regalado, Stöhr, Henrik, Kästle, Benedikt & Werneburg, Ingmar, 2023, Diversity and taxonomy of the Late Triassic sauropodomorphs (Saurischia, Sauropodomorpha) stored in the Palaeontological Collection of Tübingen, Germany, historically referred to Plateosaurus, pp. 1-88 in European Journal of Taxonomy 913 (1) on page 61, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.913.2375, http://zenodo.org/record/10405782