Microceratus

small horned (one)

• mikros · Greek · small
• keras (kerato-) · Greek · horn

Microceratus combines the Greek words 'mikros' (small) and 'keras' (horn), meaning 'small horned one.' The name refers to the diminutive size of this ceratopsian dinosaur and the characteristic small frill and horns typical of early ceratopsians. It was coined as a replacement name because the original genus name, Microceratops, was already in use for an insect.

Named by

Mateus

Year named

2008

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Campanian

Found in

Djadokhta Formation, Omnogovi Province, Mongolia

Microceratus was originally described as Microceratops gobiensis by Bohlin in 1953, but the name Microceratops was preoccupied by a genus of parasitic wasp. Octávio Mateus proposed the replacement name Microceratus in 2008. It is a small bipedal ceratopsian (protoceratopsid), roughly 60–80 cm long. The genus is widely considered a nomen dubium because the fragmentary fossil material is difficult to diagnose with confidence. It should not be confused with the very small CGI dinosaur of the same name popularised by the Jurassic World franchise.