Haplocanthus

simple spine

• haplous · Greek · single, simple
• akantha · Greek · spine, thorn

The name combines Greek words for "simple" and "spine". It refers to the simple, single-bladed neural spines on the vertebrae of this sauropod. Hatcher named it in 1903 but soon found the name was already used for a fish genus. He replaced it with Haplocanthosaurus, which means "simple-spined lizard".

Named by

Hatcher

Year named

1903

Period

Late Jurassic

Stage

Kimmeridgian

Found in

Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA

Haplocanthus is a junior homonym, or preoccupied name. It was already in use for a fish genus, so Hatcher replaced it with the replacement name Haplocanthosaurus in the same year. The valid name for this sauropod is Haplocanthosaurus. The stage and locality given are approximate.