Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 117, September 2014, pp. 1-33. | Page 17
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Nomina dubia (dubious names)
The following material was assigned to Elaphrosaurus over the years, but further
study revealed that these assignments were dubious:
Elaphrosaurus iguidiensis, was described by Lapparent in 1960, and the
material was collected in Algeria, Libya and Niger in Early Cretaceous
sediments. The material consists of over 40 teeth, a manual ungual, eight
caudal vertebrae, a distal femur fragment, and a complete tibia measuring
350 mm. These specimens originated in three different localities and do not
appear to belong to the same species.
Elaphrosaurus gautieri, was first described by Lapparent in 1960, and the
material was collected at the Tiouraren Formation in Niger in MiddleLate Jurassic sediments. This material, a complete neck vertebra, has since
been renamed Spinostropheus gautieri by Sereno et al. (2004).
Elaphrosaurus philtippettensis, was erected by Pickering in 1995 based on
USNM 5737, which consists of a tibia, a humerus, some metatarsals, and the
distal portion of a fragmentary pubic bones recovered from the Morrison
Formation of Colorado. Further research by Carpenter et al. (2005) suggested
that the fossils are not ceratosaurian and are likely referable to the coelurid
theropod Tanycolagreus.
Elaphrosaurus agilis, was described Dale Russel in 1972, based on a pair of
fused pubic bones that O. C. Marsh had earlier named Coelurus agilis,
believing that this specimen represented a much larger version of the type
specimen, Coelurus fragilis. John Ostrom in 1980 confirmed Charles Gilmore's
earlier position that Coelurus agilis was synonymous with Coelurus fragilis.
This means that Elaphrosaurus agilis is actually the same animal as Coelurus
fragilis.
Elaphrosaurus sp. USNM 8415, was discovered in 1883 and first referred to the
ornithopod Dryosaurus. It was later referred to Elaphrosaurus by Galton in
1982, based on remains recovered at the Morrison Formation of Colorado.
This material, which is clearly ceratosaurian, does not bare any morphology
that specifically ties it to Elaphrosaurus. Current knowledge limits the
placement of this material to Ceratosauria incertae sedis.
Elaphrosaurus sp. DMNH 36284, was referred to this genus by Chure in 2001,
based on the proximal portion of a fragmentary right tibia from the Brushy
Basin Member of the Morrison Formation. Phylogenetic analysis by Carrano
and Sampson (2008) showed that it was not ceratosaurian, but instead
resembled the leg bone of an abelisauroid theropod that has yet to be
formally described (Wikipedia).
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 117 – September 2014