Clasmodosaurus

broken/fragment tooth lizard

• klasma / klasmat- · Greek · broken piece, fragment
• odous / odontos · Greek · tooth
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Greek roots for "fragment" (klasma/klasmat-) and "tooth" (odous/odontos) with the common suffix "-saurus" (lizard). It was coined to reflect the fragmentary or broken nature of the teeth found in the fossil material. Like many sauropod genera described in the 19th century, it was named primarily on the basis of teeth and very incomplete skeletal remains.

Named by

Ameghino

Year named

1898

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Patagonia, Argentina

Clasmodosaurus is a nomen dubium — its validity as a distinct genus is highly doubtful. It was described by Florentino Ameghino in 1898 based on fragmentary teeth from Late Cretaceous deposits of Patagonia, Argentina. The material is too incomplete to confidently assign it to any known sauropod lineage or to diagnose it as a distinct genus. It is generally regarded as an indeterminate titanosaur sauropod.