Aubylysodon

fluted tooth

• aubly- · Greek · fluted or grooved
• odon · Greek · tooth

The name Aublysodon comes from the Greek roots meaning "fluted tooth." It was given because the type specimen consists of distinctive blade-like, laterally compressed teeth that lack the serrations on their front (anterior) edge that are typical of most tyrannosaurids. The name refers directly to this unusual tooth morphology. It was named by Joseph Leidy in 1868 based on isolated teeth from the Late Cretaceous of North America.

Named by

Leidy

Year named

1868

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Judith River Formation and Lance Formation, Montana and Wyoming, USA

Aublysodon is a nomen dubium. It was founded solely on isolated teeth, and it is now understood that the unserrated anterior edge seen in these teeth is actually a feature of the premaxillary teeth (front teeth) found in many tyrannosaurids, including juveniles. As a result, the teeth cannot be reliably assigned to a single species, and the genus is considered undiagnostic. Various species have been assigned to it over the years (e.g., Aublysodon mirandus, A. cristatus), but none are regarded as valid. The teeth may belong to Tyrannosaurus, Daspletosaurus, or related tyrannosaurids. Note also that the user's query was spelled 'Aubylysodon'; the correct spelling is 'Aublysodon'.