Pronunciation: NOH-do-SEF-a-lo-SOR-us
Meaning: Knob-head lizard
Author/s: Sullivan et al. (1999)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: New Mexico, U.S.A.
Discovery Chart Position: #458
Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis
(Knob-head lizard from the Kirtland Formation)Etymology
Nodocephalosaurus is derived from the Greek "nodus" (knob), "kephale" (head) and "sauros" (lizard). If you take a trip to England, don't ever call anyone a knob head.
The species epithet, kirtlandensis (KUHRT-lan-DEN-sis) is derived from "Kirtland" (for the Kirtland Formation in which the holotype was discovered) and the Latin "-ensis" (from).
Discovery
The remains of Nodocephalosaurus were discovered in the De-na-zin Member of the Kirtland Formation, San Juan County, New Mexico, by Robert M. Sullivan and Thomas E. Williamson in 1995.
The Holotype (SMP VP-900) is an incomplete skull.
Referred material, also from the De-na-zin Member, includes two tail vertebrae (SMP VP-1149—collected from SMP locality 309 in the summer of 1998, and SMP VP-1743—collected from SMP locality 358 in 2003), a cervical spine (SMP VP-1870, found at SMP locality 361 in the summer of 2004) and two armour plates (SMP VP-1957—found at SMP locality 382 during the 2005 field season) that were described in 2005, and an incomplete minor tail club plate (SMP VP-1632—found at SMP locality 404, east branch of Hunter Wash by Denver Fowler on August 12th, 2003), an incomplete tail club (SMP VP-1646—found at SMP locality 358, Willow Wash northwest by Denver Fowler on August 18th, 2003) and miscellaneous tail club fragments (SMP VP-2074 —found at SMP locality 361, Willow Wash south-central by Denver Fowler and Robert Sullivan on August 2nd, 2006) that were described in 2011.
The above material was referred to Nodocephalosaurus, at least in part, based on parsimony, as it was the only diagnostic ankylosaurid known from this interval of the San Juan Basin at the time. However, since then, Ahshislepelta and Ziapelta have been found in the same area, so Arbour and Currie assigned all referred specimens, SMPVP-1957 aside, to Ankylosauridae indet. in 2015, because it isn't clear which ankylosaurid actually owns them.
Material previously collected from the Kirtland Formation and assigned to Euoplocephalus or Panoplosaurus might actually represent additional remains of Nodocephalosaurus.
