Gryponyx

hooked claw

• grypos · Greek · hooked, curved
• onyx · Greek · claw, nail

The name Gryponyx combines the Greek words 'grypos' (hooked or curved) and 'onyx' (claw or nail), meaning 'hooked claw'. It was chosen to reflect the distinctive curved shape of the claws found among the fossil material. This was a common naming convention for theropod and prosauropod dinosaurs whose claw morphology was a defining feature.

Named by

Broom

Year named

1911

Period

Early Jurassic

Stages

Hettangian – Pliensbachian

Found in

Upper Elliot Formation, South Africa

Gryponyx is generally regarded as a nomen dubium. It was originally described by Robert Broom in 1911 from fragmentary material in the Upper Elliot Formation of South Africa. It has been considered a possible prosauropod (sauropodomorph) dinosaur, but the material is too incomplete to diagnose with confidence. Various species have been assigned to or moved from this genus over time, and it is not considered a valid, well-supported genus by most modern assessments.