Magnosaurus

Magnosaurus (meaning 'large lizard') was a theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of England. The main species, Magnosaurus nethercombensis has poorly preserved remains. It has often been confused with or included in Megalosaurus.

Magnosaurus
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 173–169 Ma
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Skeletal diagram of the holotype specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Megalosauridae
Subfamily: †Afrovenatorinae
Genus: †Magnosaurus
Huene, 1932
Type species
†Megalosaurus nethercombensis
Huene, 1923
Species

†M. nethercombensis (Huene, 1923 [originally Megalosaurus])
†M. lydekkeri (Huene, 1932 [originally Megalosaurus])
†M. woodwardi Huene, 1932

In 1923, German paleontologist Friedrich von Huene named Megalosaurus nethercombensis from a partial skeleton. It was found in the nineteenth century by W. Parker in Dorset. Fossils came from a possible juvenile individual. Huene interpreted it as a more primitive species of Megalosaurus.[1]

The remains are just a few fragments. Details of its anatomical features are unknown. It would have been a bipedal carnivore of moderate size for a dinosaur.

References
  1. von Huene, F. (1923). Carnivorous Saurischia in Europe since the Triassic. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 34:449-458.
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