Diclonius

double sprout" or "two-branched tooth

• di- · Greek · two / double
• klōn · Greek · sprout / branch / twig
• -ius · Latin · adjectival/nominal suffix

The name Diclonius comes from the Greek roots "di-" (two) and "klōn" (sprout or branch), referring to the distinctive double-rooted or two-pronged nature of the teeth found in the fossil material. Cope coined the name in 1876 to highlight this tooth structure, which he considered characteristic enough to define a new genus. The teeth, with their forked or bifurcated roots, were the primary diagnostic feature distinguishing it from other hadrosaurs at the time.

Named by

Cope

Year named

1876

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

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

Diclonius is a nomen dubium. Cope originally used it for fragmentary hadrosaurid (duck-billed dinosaur) teeth and remains from the Judith River and Lance formations. Because the material is too fragmentary to be reliably assigned, and because double-rooted teeth are a general feature of many hadrosaurs rather than a unique diagnostic character, the genus is considered undiagnosable and has been regarded as a nomen dubium by most modern workers. Various species originally referred to Diclonius have been reassigned to other hadrosaurid genera such as Edmontosaurus and Anatosaurus.