Lophostropheus

crested pivot (crested axis vertebra)

• lophos · Greek · crest
• stropheus · Greek · pivot or hinge (a reference to the axis vertebra of the neck)

The name combines the Greek "lophos" (crest) with "stropheus" (pivot). It refers to the axis, the second neck vertebra, which pivots the skull and has a distinctive crest-like ridge in this animal. The species was first described as a species of Liliensternus and was moved to its own genus in 2007.

Named by

Ezcurra and Cuny

Year named

2007

Period

Late Triassic to Early Jurassic

Stages

Rhaetian – Hettangian

Found in

Airel, Normandy, France

The only species is L. airelensis. It is a small to medium theropod originally named Liliensternus airelensis by Cuny and Galton in 1993. Its exact position among early theropods (coelophysoid or early ceratosaur) is debated, and the age of the fossils spans the Triassic–Jurassic boundary. The etymology of "stropheus" is given from memory, so treat that detail with some caution.