Orthogoniosaurus

straight-angled lizard

• ortho · Greek · straight, upright
• gonia · Greek · angle
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Greek words 'orthos' (straight/upright), 'gonia' (angle), and 'sauros' (lizard). It was chosen in reference to a distinctive, nearly right-angled or straight-angled morphology observed in the tooth (specifically the cross-sectional geometry of the tooth crown) that served as the basis for the genus. The name thus describes a key feature of the only known fossil material — a single tooth.

Named by

Das-Gupta

Year named

1931

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Lameta Formation, Madhya Pradesh, India

Orthogoniosaurus is generally regarded as a nomen dubium. It is based solely on a single tooth found in the Late Cretaceous Lameta Formation of India, which is insufficient material to confidently diagnose a distinct genus. It has tentatively been considered a theropod (possibly an abelisaurid or a large carnivorous dinosaur), but no consensus on its affinities has been established. Some researchers have suggested it may belong to an indeterminate theropod.