Genus
Valid Extinct

Lycorhinus

Haughton 1924

Lycorhinus is a genus of heterodontosaurid ornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Early Jurassic, in the Sinemurian. It is known from a single species L. angustidens, that was named in 1924 by Sidney H. Haughton as a cynodont for a partial jaw found in the Upper Elliot Formation of South Africa. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek words for "wolf" and "nose". The limited material available, which has degraded over time to only be represented now by a single original tooth and the impression of the remaining jaw and teeth, has resulted in multiple different interpretations of the diagnostic nature and synonymy of Lycorhinus, including the treatmens of the type species of Heterodontosaurus, Abrictosaurus, and Lanasaurus as either species of Lycorhinus or synonyms. The latest review of Lycorhinus accepted the synonymy of Lanasaurus scalpridens, named in 1975 by Christopher Gow for a maxilla from Golden Gate Highlands National Park, with Lycorhinus angustidens, and also the referral of a partial skull found at the same locality as the original holotype decades later. Tentative specimens from the Clarens Formation have also been considered allied with Lycorhinus, but they may be better treated as remains of indeterminate heterodontosaurids.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
5
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Lycorhinus
click to enlarge
natural silicone cast of the holotype of Lycorhinus angustidens (UCRC PVC10). Abbreviations: 3-10 dentary tooth 3-10 Fa-j tooth-to-tooth wear facet a-j f accessory facet. Scale bars equal 1 cm in C and 3 cm in D. © Paul C. Sereno · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
Ornithischia Unranked clade
Parapredentata Unranked clade
Saphornithischia Unranked clade
Prionodontia Unranked clade
Heterodontosauridae Family
Heterodontosaurinae Subfamily
Lycorhinus Genus
Fossil sites 5 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇿🇦 South Africa
4
🇱🇸 Lesotho
1
Geological formations
Elliot
3
Temporal distribution
Pliensbachian (192.9–184.2 Ma)
1
Sinemurian (199.5–192.9 Ma)
4
Species (3)
Lanasaurus scalpridens subjective synonym of Lycorhinus angustidens 201 Ma
Lycorhinus angustidens 201 Ma
Lycorhinus parvidens
Synonyms (1)
Lanasaurus subjective synonym of Lycorhinus
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
S. H. Haughton. 1924. The fauna and stratigraphy of the Stormberg Series. Annals of the South African Museum 12:323-497
Bibliography (4)
P. C. Sereno. 2012. Taxonomy, morphology, masticatory function and phylogeny of heterodontosaurid dinosaurs. Zookeys 226:1-225 DOI ↗
L. B. Porro, R. J. Butler, and P. M. Barrett, S. Moore-Fay, R. L. Abel. 2011. New heterodontosaurid specimens from the Lower Jurassic of southern Africa and the early ornithischian dinosaur radiation. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 101:351-366 DOI ↗
C. E. Gow. 1975. A new heterodontosaurid from the Redbeds of South Africa showing clear evidence of tooth replacement. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 57:335-339 DOI ↗
S. H. Haughton. 1924. The fauna and stratigraphy of the Stormberg Series. Annals of the South African Museum 12:323-497