Loncosaurus

chief/leader lizard

• lonco · Mapuche · chief, leader, or head
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Mapuche (Araucanian) word 'lonco' (also spelled 'lonko'), meaning 'chief' or 'head/leader', with the Greek word 'sauros', meaning 'lizard'. It was named in reference to its discovery in Patagonia, Argentina, a region historically associated with the Mapuche people. The name therefore translates roughly as 'chief lizard' or 'leader lizard'.

Named by

Ameghino

Year named

1899

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Patagonia, Argentina

Loncosaurus is generally considered a nomen dubium. It was described by Florentino Ameghino in 1899 from very fragmentary material (a partial femur and some teeth) from Patagonia, which makes it impossible to confidently diagnose or compare with other theropod genera. It is thought to be a theropod dinosaur, but its exact affinities remain unclear due to the poor preservation of the type material.