Loricosaurus
LOR-ih-koh-SORE-us /ˌlɒrɪkoʊˈsɔːrəs/
Synonym of Neuquensaurus
armoured lizard
- lorica · Latin · cuirass, armour
- sauros · Greek · lizard
The name combines the Latin "lorica" (a cuirass or armour breastplate) with the Greek "sauros" (lizard). It was chosen because the bony plates (osteoderms) found with the type material were thought to be body armour, and Huene originally interpreted the animal as an armoured ankylosaur-like dinosaur. The armour is now thought to belong to a titanosaurian sauropod.
- Named by
- Huene
- Year named
- 1929
- Period
- Late Cretaceous
- Stage
- Campanian
- Found in
- Neuquén Province, Patagonia, Argentina
Type species Loricosaurus scutatus. It was based on osteoderms (bony armour plates) that were wrongly thought to belong to an ankylosaur. They are now generally regarded as belonging to a titanosaurian sauropod, and the genus is usually treated as a junior synonym of Neuquensaurus. Some authors treat the name as doubtful. I'm unsure of the exact formation and stage details.