Hostname: page-component-76d6cb85b7-92wsb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-07-14T09:15:04.500Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hylaeosaurus, Polacanthus, and the systematics and stratigraphy of Wealden armoured dinosaurs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

Javier Pereda-Suberbiola
Javier Pereda-Suberbiola
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Paléontologie des Vertébrés, Université Paris VI, Case 106, 4, place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Two genera of armoured dinosaurs (Ankylosauria) are present in the Lower Cretaceous Wealden Beds of England. Polacanthus Owencan be distinguished from Hylaeosaurus Mantell on the basis of significant differences in the pectoral girdle, hindlimb and dermal armour. A comprehensive review of the dinosaurs from the Wealden Series of England and contemporary basins of western Europe adds further evidence of a biologicalseparation between Lower Wealden (Hastings Beds, containing Hylaeosaurusarmatus) and Upper Wealden faunas (Wealden Group of the Isle of Wight-containing Polacanthus foxii-and nearly equivalent units in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain).

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 130 , Issue 6 , November 1993 , pp. 767 - 781
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Allen, P. 1975. Wealden of the Weald: a new model. Proceedings ofthe Geologist's Association 86, 389–436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anonymous. 1865 a. Fossil reptiles from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight. Geological Magazine 2, 432. (Reprinted from The Athenaeum, August 5th 1865, 186.)Google Scholar
Anonymous. 1865 b. A new Wealden dragon. Order, Sauria; Family, Dinosaurian; Genus, Polacanthus; Species, foxii. Illustrated London News 47, September 16th 1865, 270.Google Scholar
Barrois, C. 1875. Les reptiles du terrain crétacé du N.-E. du bassin de Paris. Bulletin scientifique, historique et littéraire du Nord 6, 73–83.Google Scholar
Blows, W. T. 1982. A preliminary account of a new specimen Polacanthus (Ankylosauria, Reptilia) from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight. Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History & Archaeological Society 7, 303–6.Google Scholar
Blows, W. T. 1983. William Fox (1813–1881), a neglected dinosaur collector of the Isle of Wight. Archives of Natural History 11 (2), 299–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blows, W. T. 1987. The armoured dinosaur Polacanthus foxi from the Lower Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight. Palaeontology 30, 557–80.Google Scholar
Charig, A. J. 1980. A diplodocid sauropod from the Lower Cretaceous of England. In Aspects of Vertebrate History (ed. Jacobs, L. L.), pp.231–44. Flagstaff: Museum of Northern Arizona Press.Google Scholar
Charig, A. J. & Milner, A. C. 1986. Baryonyx, a remarkable new theropod dinosaur. Nature 324, 359–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coombs, W. P. Jr 1971. The Ankylosauria. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Columbia University, 487 pp. (Ph.D. thesis, University Microfilms International no. 72–1291).Google Scholar
Coombs, W. P. Jr 1978. The families of the ornithischian dinosaur order Ankylosauria. Palaeontology 21, 143–70.Google Scholar
Coombs, W. P. Jr 1986. A juvenile ankylosaur referable to the genus Euoplocephalus (Reptilia, Ornithischia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 6, 162–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coombs, W. P. Jr & Maryanska, T. 1990. Ankylosauria. In The Dinosauria (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. and Osmolska, H.), pp. 456–83. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Delair, J. B. 1982. Notes on an armoured dinosaur from Barnes High, Isle of Wight. Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History & Archaeological Society 7, 297–302.Google Scholar
Fox, W. 1866. On a new Wealden saurian named Polacanthus. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 35, 56.Google Scholar
Galton, P. M. 1971. A primitive dome-headed dinosaur (Ornithischia: Pachycephalosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of England, and the function of the dome in pachycephalosaurids. Journal of Paleontology 45, 40–7.Google Scholar
Galton, P. M. 1974. The ornithischian dinosaur Hypsilophodon from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology 25, 1–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galton, P. M. 1981 a. Craterosaurus pottonensis Seeley, a stegosaurian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of England. Neues Jahrbuch fürGeologie und Paläontologie, 161, 28–46.Google Scholar
Galton, P. M. 1981 b. A juvenile stegosaurian dinosaur, ‘Astrodon pusillus’ from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal, with comments on Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous biogeography. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 1, 245–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galton, P. M.. 1983. Armored dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria) from the Middle and Upper Jurassic of Europe. Palaeontographica Abt. A 182, 1–25.Google Scholar
Galton, P. M. 1985. British plated dinosaurs (Ornithischia, Stegosauridae). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 5, 211–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galton, P. M. & Taquet, P. 1982. Valdosaurus, a hypsilophodontid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe and Africa. Géobios 15, 147–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilmore, C. W. 1914. Osteology of the armored Dinosauria in the United States National Museum, with special reference to the genus Stegosaurus. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 89, 1–143.Google Scholar
Harland, W. B., Armstrong, A. V., Cox, A. V., Craig, L. E., Smith, A. G. & Smith, D. G. 1989. A geologic time scale. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 263 pp.Google Scholar
Haubold, H. 1990. Dinosaurs and fluctuating sea levels during the Mesozoic. Historical Biology 4, 75–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hennig, E. 1924. Kentrosaurus aethiopicus. Die Stegosaurier-Funde von Tendaguru, Deutsch-Ostafrika. Palaeontographica Supplement 7, 103–253.Google Scholar
Huene, F. Von. 1929. Los Saurisquios y Ornitisquios del Cretáceo argentine. Anales del Museo de la Plata (ser. 2) 3, 1–196.Google Scholar
Hulke, J. W. 1874. Note on a reptilian tibia and humerus (probably of Hylaeosaurus) from the Wealden Formation of the Isle of Wight. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 30, 516–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulke, J. W. 1882. Polacanthus foxii, a large undescribed dinosaur from the Wealden Formation in the Isle of Wight. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 172, 653–62.Google Scholar
Hulke, J. W. 1888. Supplemental note on Polacanthus foxii, describing the dorsal shield and some parts of the endoskeleton, imperfectly known in 1881. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 178, 169–72.Google Scholar
Jurcsak, T. & Popa, E. 1979. Dinozaurieni ornitopozi din Bauxitele de la Cornet (Muntii Padurea Craiului). Nymphaea 7, 37–75.Google Scholar
Koken, E. 1887. Die Dinosaurier, Crocodiliden und Sauropterigier desnorddeutschen Wealden. Geologischen Palaeontologischen Abh. 3, 311–420.Google Scholar
Lee, J. E. 1843. Notice of saurian dermal plates from the Wealden ofthe Isle of Wight. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 2, 5–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lucas, F. A. 1901. A new dinosaur, Stegosaurus marshi, from the Lower Cretaceous of South Dakota. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 23, 591–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lucas, F. A. 1902. A new generic name for Stegosaurus marshi. Science 16, 435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lydekker, R. 1888. Catalogue of the fossil Reptilia and Amphibia in the British Museum. Part I. Containing the orders Ornithosauria, Crocodilia, Dinosauria, Squamata, Rhynchocephalia, and Proterosauria. London: British Museum of Natural History, 309 pp.Google Scholar
Lydekker, R. 1890. Catalogue of the fossil Reptilia and Amphibia in the British Museum. Part IV. Containing the orders Anomodontia, Ecaudata, Caudata, and Labyrinthodontia; and supplement. London: British Museum of Natural History, 295 pp.Google Scholar
Lydekker, R. 1891. On part of the pelvis of Polacanthus. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 48, 148–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1833 a. Observations on the remains of the Iguanodon, and other fossil reptiles, of the strata of Tilgate Forest in Sussex. Proceedings of the Geological Society of London 1, 410–11.Google Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1833 b. The Geology of the South-East of England. London: Longman & Co., xix + 415 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1838. The wonders of Geology: or, a familiar exposition of geological phenomena, vol. 1. 1st ed. London: Relfe & Fletcher, xvi + 376 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1841. Memoir on a portion of the lower jaw of the Iguanodon, and on the remains of the Hylaeosaurus and other saurians, discovered in the strata of the Tilgate Forest, in Sussex. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 131, 131–51.Google Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1844. The medals of Creation; or, first lessons in geology and in the study of organic remains, vol. 2. 1st ed. London: H. G. Bohn, vii + 458–1016.Google Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1848. On the structure of the jaws and teeth of the Iguanodon. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 138, 183–202.Google Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1849. Additional observations on the osteology of the Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 139, 271–305.Google Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1850 a. On the Pelorosaurus; an undescribed giganticterrestrial reptile. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 140, 379–90.Google Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1850 b. On a dorsal spine of the Hylaeosaurus, recently discovered in the strata of Tilgate Forest. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 140, 391–2.Google Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1851. Petrifactions and their teachings; or, a hand-book to the gallery or organic remains of the British Museum. London: H. G.Bohn, xi + 496 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantell, G. A. 1852. On the structure of the Iguanodon and on the fauna and flora of the Wealden formation. Notices & Proceedings of the Royal Institute of Great Britain 1, 141–6.Google Scholar
Marsh, O. C. 1890. Additional characters of the Ceratopsidae, with notice of new Cretaceous dinosaurs. American Journal of Science 39, 418–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, V. & Buffetaut, E. 1992. Les Iguanodons (Ornithischia – Ornithopoda) du Crétacé inférieur de la région de Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne). Revue de Paléobiologie 11, 67–96.Google Scholar
McIntosh, J. S. 1990. Sauropoda. In The Dinosauria (eds. Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. and Osmolska, H.), pp. 345–401. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Molnar, R. E. 1990. Problematic Theropoda: ‘Carnosaurs’. In The Dinosauria (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. and Osmolska, H.), pp. 306–17. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Nopcsa, F. 1905. Notes on British dinosaurs. Part II: Polacanthus. Geological Magazine (ser. 5) 2, 241–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nopcsa, F. 1928. Palaeontological notes on reptiles. Geologica Hungarica (ser. Paleontology) 1, 1–84.Google Scholar
Nopcsa, F. 1929. Dinosaurierreste aus Siebenbürgen, V. Geologica Hungarica (ser. Paleontology) 4, 1–76.Google Scholar
Norman, D. B. 1980. On the ornithischian dinosaur Iguanodonbernissartensis of Bernissart, Belgium. Mémoires de l' Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique 178, 1–105.Google Scholar
Norman, D. B. 1986. On the anatomy of Iguanodon atherfieldensis (Ornithischia: Ornithopoda). Bulletin de l' Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique (Sciences de la Terre) 56, 281–372.Google Scholar
Norman, D. B. 1987 a. Wealden dinosaur biostratigraphy. In Fourth Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems, Short Papers (eds Currie, P. J. and Koster, E. H.), pp. 165–70. Drumheller: Tyrrel Museum of Palaeontology.Google Scholar
Norman, D. B. 1987 b. A mass-accumulation of vertebrates from the Lower Cretaceous of Nehden (Sauerland), West Germany. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London (ser. B) 230, 215–55.Google ScholarPubMed
Norman, D. B. 1990. Problematic Theropoda: ‘Coeluro-saurs’. In The Dinosauria (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. and Osmoslka, H.), pp. 280–305. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Norman, D. B. & Weishampel, D. B. 1990. Iguanodontidae and related ornithopods. In The Dinosauria (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. and Osmoslka, H.), pp. 510–33. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Osborn, H. F. 1923. Two Lower Cretaceous dinosaurs from Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 95, 1–10.Google Scholar
Ostrom, J. H. 1970. Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Cloverly Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Bighorn Basin area, Wyoming and Montana. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 35, 1–234.Google Scholar
Owen, R. 1842. Report on British fossil reptiles. Part II. Reportof the British Association for the Advancement of Science 11, 60–204.Google Scholar
Owen, R. 1857. Monograph on the fossil Reptilia of the Wealden and Purbeck Formations. Part IV. Dinosauria (Hylaeosaurus), (Wealden). Palaeontographical Society of London (Monographs) 10, 8–26.Google Scholar
Owen, R. 1876. Monograph of the fossil Reptilia of the Wealden and Purbeck formations. Supplement 7. Crocodylia (Poikilopleuron), Dinosauria (Chondrosteosaurus). Palaeontographical Society of London (Monographs) 30, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pereda-Suberbiola, J. 1991. Nouvelle évidence d'une connexion terrestre entre Europe et Amérique du Nord au Crétacé inférieur: Hoplitosaurus, synonyme de Polacanthus (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria). Comptes Rendus de l' Académie de Sciences de Paris (sér. II) 313, 971–6.Google Scholar
Pereda-Suberbiola, J. in press. Polacanthus (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria), a transatlantic armoured dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Europeand North America. Palaeontographica Abt. A.Google Scholar
Rawson, P. F., Curry, D., Dilley, F. C., Hancock, J. M., Kennedy, W. J., Neale, J. W., Wood, C. J. & Worssam, B. C. 1978. A correlation of Cretaceous rocks in the British Isles. Geological Society of London, Special Report 9, 1–70.Google Scholar
Santafe-Llopis, J. V., Casanovas-Cladellas, M. L., Sanz-Garcia, J. L. & Calzada-Badia, S. 1982. Geologia y paleontologia (Dinosaurios) delas Capas Rojas de Morella (Castellón. España). Castellón: Diputación Provincial de Castellón, Diputación de Barcelona, 169 pp.Google Scholar
Sanz, J. L. 1983. A nodosaurid ankylosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Salas de los Infantes (Province of Burgos, Spain). Géobios 16, 615–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanz, J. L., Buscalioni, A. D., Casanovas, M. L. & Santafe, J. V. 1987. Dinosaurios del Cretàcico inferior de Galve (Teruel, España). Estudios Geológicos, volumen extraordinario Galve-Tremp, 45–64.Google Scholar
Sanz, J. L., Casanovas, M. L. & Santafe, J. V. 1984. Iguanodóntidos (Reptilia, Ornithopoda) del yacimiento del Cretàcico inferior de San Cristobal (Galve, Teruel). Acta Geólogica Hispana 19, 171–176.Google Scholar
Sanz, J. L., Santafe, J. V. & Casanovas, M. L. 1983. Wealden ornithopod dinosaur Hypsilophodon from the Capas Rojas Formation (lowerAptian, Lower Cretaceous) of Morella, Castellon, Spain. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 3, 39–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sauvage, H. E. 1882. Recherches sur les reptiles trouvés dansle Gault de l' Est du bassin de Paris. Mémoires de la Societé géologique de France 2, 1–41.Google Scholar
Seeley, H. G. 1876. On the axis of a dinosaur from the Wealden of Brook in the Isle of Wight, probably referable to the Iguanodon. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 31, 460–6.Google Scholar
Seeley, H. G. 1888. On the classification of the fossil animals commonly named Dinosauria. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 43, 165–71.Google Scholar
Seeley, H. G. 1891. On the os pubis of Polacanthus foxii. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 48, 81–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sereno, P. C. 1986. Phylogeny of the bird-hippen dinosaurs (Order Ornithischia). National Geographical Research 2, 234–56.Google Scholar
Stewart, D. J. 1981. A field guide to the Wealden Group of the Hastings area and Isle of Wight. In Field Guides to Modern and Ancient Fluvial Systems in Britain and Spain, International Fluvial Conference (ed. Elliott, T.), pp. 1–31. Keele: University of Keele, Department of Geology.Google Scholar
Swinton, W. E. 1946. The Isle of Wight dinosaur. Illustrated London News 209, 278.Google Scholar
Tennyson, H. 1897. Alfred Lord Tennyson, a Memoir, vol. 2. London: Macmillan and Co.Google Scholar
Weishampel, D. B. 1990. Dinosaurian distribution. In The Dinosauria (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. and Osmolska, H.), pp. 65–139. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar