Sphenosaurus

Taxobox
name = "Sphenosaurus"
fossil_range = Permian


image_width=
image_caption =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo = Procolophonomorpha
familia = Procolophonidae
genus = "Sphenosaurus"
genus_authority=von Meyer, 1847
subdivision_ranks=Species
subdivision=
*"S. sternbergii" (Fitzinger, 1840 [originally "Palaeosaurus sternbergii"] ) (type)

"Sphenosaurus" is a poorly known genus of procolophonid, a type of prehistoric reptile from the Permian. Originally assigned the name "Palaeosaurus sternbergii", by German paleontologist Leopold Joseph Fitzinger in 1840, the generic name was already preoccupied by not one but two other reptiles assigned the name "Palaeosaurus". In 1847, Hermann von Meyer recognized the original 1833 usage of "Palaeosaurus" and moved "P. sternbergii" to a new genus, "Sphenosaurus".

References

* [http://www.bristoldinosaur.com/project-history.html The story of "Palaeosaurus" and "Thecodontosaurus"] from The Bristol Dinosaur Project
*A series of posts to the [http://dml.cmnh.org Dinosaur Mailing List] by George Olshevsky, regarding the history of "Palaeosaurus", including "Sphenosaurus": [http://dml.cmnh.org/2000Apr/msg00666.html 1] [http://dml.cmnh.org/2000Apr/msg00668.html 2] [http://dml.cmnh.org/2002Apr/msg00630.html 3] [http://dml.cmnh.org/2002Aug/msg00273.html 4]