Darwinsaurus

Darwinsaurus (meaning "Darwin's lizard") was an ornithopod dinosaur. It was once wrongly described as Iguanodon.

In the early nineteenth century dinosaur skeletons were discovered near Hastings in East Sussex. These were first reported by Richard Owen in 1842. In 1889 they were referred to Iguanodon fittoni by Richard Lydekker.Lydekker, R., 1889, "Notes on new and other dinosaurian remains", Geological Magazine, 6: 352-356 They were then assigned to Hypselospinus fittoni by David B. Norman in 2010.

In 2012 Gregory S. Paul named them as a separate genus and species. The type species is Darwinsaurus evolutionis. The generic name honours Charles Darwin for his theory of evolution. The first fossil described as Darwinsaurus is known from a partial skeleton.

Paul's decision is being challenged,David B. Norman 2013. On the taxonomy and diversity of Wealden iguanodontian dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda). Revue de Paléobiologie, Genève. 32 (2): 385–404.  Poole K. 2016. A specimen-level phylogeny of Wealden iguanodontians: implications for taxonomy. p. 207. In: Farke A; MacKenzie A. & Miller-Camp J. (eds) Meeting Program and Abstracts. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 2016. Seventy-Sixth Annual Meeting. Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, October 26–29, 2016. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Bethesda. and the present account may need be changed.

References

Category:Cretaceous dinosaurs
Category:Ornithopods