Diplotomodon

double cutting tooth

• diplo- · Greek · double
• tomos · Greek · cutting / slice
• odous (odon) · Greek · tooth

The name Diplotomodon combines three Greek roots: "diplo-" (double), "tomos" (cutting), and "odon" (tooth), giving the overall meaning "double cutting tooth." It was chosen in reference to the form of the tooth material on which the genus was based, which appeared to have a doubly cutting or two-edged character. The name reflects the 19th-century practice of naming taxa primarily on the distinctive features of isolated teeth.

Named by

Leidy

Year named

1868

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

New Jersey, USA

Diplotomodon horrificus is known only from a single fragmentary tooth from the Late Cretaceous Maastrichtian-age deposits of New Jersey. Because it is based solely on an isolated tooth with no further diagnostic material, it is widely regarded as a nomen dubium — a name of doubtful validity. It has been tentatively referred to as a theropod dinosaur, but its exact classification remains uncertain. Some researchers have questioned whether it may belong to a non-dinosaurian reptile.