Dysganus

rough jaw / rough tooth socket

• dys- · Greek · bad, rough, or difficult
• ganos · Greek · brightness, gleam; or jaw/cheek

The name *Dysganus* is derived from the Greek roots *dys-* ("bad," "rough," or "ill-formed") and *ganos* (variously interpreted as "brightness" or relating to the jaw). Cope, who named it in 1876, likely intended the name to convey the rough or irregular nature of the teeth or tooth surfaces preserved in the fragmentary fossil material. It was erected on the basis of isolated teeth from the Lance Formation of Wyoming, making its exact affinities very uncertain.

Named by

Cope

Year named

1876

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

Dysganus is widely regarded as a nomen dubium. It was founded on isolated, fragmentary teeth that cannot be confidently assigned to a specific dinosaur taxon. Several species were originally referred to the genus (e.g., D. encaustus, D. bicarinatus, D. haydenianus, D. peiganus), but none are considered diagnostically valid today. It is thought to represent hadrosaurid material, but this cannot be confirmed from the type specimens alone.