Caudocoelus

hollow tail

• cauda · Latin · tail
• coelus · Latin (from Greek koilos) · hollow

The name combines the Latin word cauda ("tail") with a Latinised form of the Greek koilos ("hollow"). It was chosen to refer to the hollow or excavated nature of the caudal (tail) vertebrae, a feature noted in the original specimen. Such pneumatised or hollowed vertebrae were a characteristic feature used to distinguish the genus at the time of naming.

Named by

Huene

Year named

1932

Period

Late Triassic

Stage

Norian

Found in

Germany

Caudocoelus is generally regarded as a nomen dubium. It was named by Friedrich von Huene in 1932 on the basis of fragmentary material (mainly vertebrae) from the Late Triassic of Germany. The material is too incomplete to reliably diagnose a distinct genus, and the name has not been widely used in modern literature. It is thought to represent a small theropod or a basal dinosauriform, but its exact affinities remain uncertain.