Thecocoelurus

sheathed hollow tail

• theke · Greek · sheath or case
• koilos · Greek · hollow
• oura · Greek · tail

The name combines the Greek words 'theke' (sheath or case), 'koilos' (hollow), and 'oura' (tail). It was chosen to reflect the hollow, tube-like nature of the vertebral material on which the genus was based, likening it to a sheathed or encased hollow structure. The name is essentially an elaboration on the closely related genus name Coelurus, with the prefix 'theco-' (sheath) added to further describe the morphology of the fossil material.

Named by

von Huene

Year named

1923

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Barremian

Found in

Wessex Formation, Isle of Wight, England, UK

Thecocoelurus is generally regarded as a nomen dubium. It is based on a single, fragmentary cervical vertebra (NHMUK PV R2338) from the Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight. The material is too incomplete to reliably diagnose the genus or assign it confidently to any particular theropod lineage. It has historically been tentatively referred to coelurosaurs. It is not a synonym of any well-established genus but rather an indeterminate theropod of uncertain affinity.