Hypsirhophus

high ridge/back

• hypsi · Greek · high, tall
• rhophos / rhophus · Greek · ridge, spine, or back

The name combines the Greek "hypsi" (ὑψι), meaning "high" or "tall," with a form derived from Greek referring to a ridge or spine. It was chosen to describe the tall neural spines on the vertebrae of this animal. The name therefore alludes to a prominent physical feature of the backbone.

Named by

Cope

Year named

1878

Period

Late Jurassic

Stages

Kimmeridgian – Tithonian

Found in

Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA

Hypsirhophus is generally regarded as a nomen dubium. It was named by E.D. Cope in 1878 from fragmentary vertebral material found in the Morrison Formation. Some historical treatments have considered it a possible synonym of Stegosaurus or a related stegosaurid, but the material is too incomplete to support a definitive assignment. It is not currently considered a valid genus.