Pronunciation: kras-PED-o-don
Meaning: Bordered tooth
Author/s: Dollo (1883)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Namur, Belgium
Discovery Chart Position: #60
Craspedodon lonzeensis
Craspedodon, a Late Cretaceous ornithischian dinosaur, is known solely from a trio of teeth from the Lonzée Formation of Namur that were named and described by Louis Dollo in 1883.
Its chompers, complete with bulbous and serrated crowns, were long thought to be from an iguanodontian, but a restudy by Godefroit and Lambert in 2007 led to the conclusion that they may actually belong to a neoceratopsian, perhaps closer to Turanoceratops (a ceratopsid or not, depending on whether you follow Sues or Farke) than Protoceratops (a protoceratopsian), which would make Craspedodon the first definite neoceratopsian known from Europe.
Unfortunately, there is nothing definite about Craspedodon. There isn't a huge difference between the teeth of neoceratopsians and those of iguanodontians so it's impossible to assign them to one or the other with any real certainty. For that reason, Craspedodon is considered highly dubious which would normally guarantee exclusion from our database, but we're going to give Belgium this one because their chocolate is so damn good.
Its chompers, complete with bulbous and serrated crowns, were long thought to be from an iguanodontian, but a restudy by Godefroit and Lambert in 2007 led to the conclusion that they may actually belong to a neoceratopsian, perhaps closer to Turanoceratops (a ceratopsid or not, depending on whether you follow Sues or Farke) than Protoceratops (a protoceratopsian), which would make Craspedodon the first definite neoceratopsian known from Europe.
Unfortunately, there is nothing definite about Craspedodon. There isn't a huge difference between the teeth of neoceratopsians and those of iguanodontians so it's impossible to assign them to one or the other with any real certainty. For that reason, Craspedodon is considered highly dubious which would normally guarantee exclusion from our database, but we're going to give Belgium this one because their chocolate is so damn good.
(Edged-tooth of Lonzée)Etymology
Craspedodon is derived from the Greek "kraspedon" (edge or border) and "odon" (tooth), referring to the notched or "scalloped" border on the edge of its teeth.
The species epithet (or specific name), lonzeensis, means "from Lonzée" in Latin.
Discovery
The only remains of Craspedodon were discovered in the Glauconie de Lonzée Formation at Lonzée, Namur, Belgium, in 1883.
The holotype (IRSNB 390) consists of three teeth.
