Poekilopleuron

varied/mottled rib (or side)

• poikilos · Greek · varied, mottled, diverse
• pleuron · Greek · rib, side

The name comes from the Greek words "poikilos" (varied, mottled, or diverse) and "pleuron" (rib or side). It was chosen to reflect the distinctive and varied form of the ribs (and more broadly the lateral anatomy) of the animal. The ribs were among the most notable elements of the original fossil material and drew the attention of the describing author. The name thus roughly means "varied-ribbed" or "of diverse sides."

Named by

Eudes-Deslongchamps

Year named

1838

Period

Middle Jurassic

Stage

Bathonian

Found in

Calvados, Normandy, France

Poekilopleuron bucklandii is a large megalosaurid theropod from the Bathonian-age Calcaire de Caen Formation of Normandy, France. The holotype was destroyed during the Allied bombing of Caen in 1944, leaving only casts, drawings, and descriptions. Because the surviving material is insufficient to confidently diagnose the genus, it is generally treated as a nomen dubium by many researchers. The spelling variant "Poikilopleuron" also appears in the older literature but "Poekilopleuron" is the original and correct spelling.