Yaverlandia

Yaverlandia is a genus of maniraptoran dinosaur. Known from a partial fossil skull (MIWG 1530) found in Lower Cretaceous strata of the Wessex Formation (Upper Silty Bed; Vectis Formation) on the Isle of Wight,[1][2][3] it was described as the earliest known member of the pachycephalosaurid family, but research by Darren Naish shows it to have actually been a theropod, seemingly a maniraptoran.[4] The rumour mill is suggesting hat Yaverlandia may be a troodontid. Yaverlandia was named from where it was found, Yaverland Point/ Yaverland Battery. It was about 3 ft ( 1 m ) in length and 1 ft ( 30 cm ) in height.[5] The type species is Yaverlandia bitholus.[6]

Yaverlandia
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 125 Ma
↓
Skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Maniraptora
Genus: †Yaverlandia
Galton, 1971
Binomial name
†Yaverlandia bitholus
Galton, 1971

Discovery and naming

The holotype skull of Y. bitholus was discovered in 1930, in England.[7][8] It was referred to as an iguanodontid of the genus Vectisaurus in 1936.[9] But when Steel (1969) followed Hulke (1879)[10] in listing Vectisaurus as an iguanodontid; in 1971, Peter Malcolm Galton named the fossil as Yaverlandia, which he described as a pachycephalosaurid since the skull of Yaverlandia was different to that of Vectisaurus (Mantellisaurus).[6] Sullivan (2000), Sereno (2000)[11] Naish (2006; unpublished thesis), Sullivan (2006)[12] and Naish (2008)[4] all re-classified Yaverlandia as a maniraptoran.

References
  1. Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Early Cretaceous, Europe)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 556-563. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
  2. Batten, D. J. (ed.) 2011. English Wealden Fossils. The Palaeontological Association, London.
  3. "Magnetostratigraphy of the Lower Cretaceous Vectis Formation (Wealden Group) on the Isle of Wight, Southern England."
  4. Naish, Darren; Martill, David M. (2008). "Dinosaurs of Great Britain and the role of the Geological Society of London in their discovery: Ornithischia". Journal of the Geological Society, London. 165 (3): 613–623. doi:10.1144/0016-76492007-154.
  5. Sullivan, R.M. 2006. A taxonomic review of the Pachycephalosauridae (Dinosauria: Ornithischia). New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 35:347-365
  6. Galton, P.M. (1971) "A primitive dome-headed dinosaur (Ornithischia: Pachycephalosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of England and the function of the dome of pachycephalosaurids". Journal of Paleontology, Vol. 45, No. 1, Pages 40–47.
  7. Watson, D.M.S (1930) Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History Society. 2, 60.
  8. BBC: Dinosaurs of The Isle of Wight - Ornithischians
  9. Swinton, 1936
  10. Vectisaurus valdensis, a new Wealden Dinosaur (J. W. Hulke) Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 35, 421-424, 1 February 1879, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.JGS.1879.035.01-04.27
  11. Sereno, P. C., 2000: The fossil record, systematics and evolution of pachycephalosaurs and ceratopsians from Asia. 480-516 in Benton, M. J., Shishkin, M. A., Unvin, D. M. & Kurochkin, E. N., (eds.) 2000: The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. –Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, xxxix-696
  12. Sullivan, R. M., 2006: A taxonomic review of the Pachycephalosauridae (Dinosauria: Ornithischia). –New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin 35: 347-365



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