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Nanosaurus agilis

Reptilia

Taxonomy
Nanosaurus agilis was named by Marsh (1877). Its type specimen is YPM 1913, a partial skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Lucas's Site, Garden Park, which is in a Tithonian channel sandstone in the Morrison Formation of Colorado.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Sues and Norman (1990); it was considered a nomen dubium by Norman et al. (2004).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1877Nanosaurus agilis Marsh
1877Nanosaurus rex Marsh
1877Nanosaurus agilis Marsh p. 254
1877Nanosaurus rex Marsh p. 516
1878Laosaurus gracilis King p. 346
1878Nanosaurus agilis King p. 346
1878Laosaurus gracilis Marsh
1878Nanosaurus agilis Marsh p. 244
1880Morosaurus rex Sauvage p. 523
1890Nanosaurus agilis Zittel p. 766
1894Laosaurus consors Marsh
1894Laosaurus gracilis Marsh
1894Nanosaurus agilis Marsh
1894Nanosaurus rex Marsh
1894Laosaurus consors Marsh p. 87
1896Laosaurus gracilis Marsh p. 199
1896Nanosaurus agilis Marsh p. 199
1896Nanosaurus rex Marsh p. 200
1896Laosaurus consors Marsh p. 202
1897Nanosaurus agilis Marsh p. 484
1897Nanosaurus rex Marsh p. 485
1897Laosaurus consors Marsh p. 503
1900Laosaurus gracilis Knight p. 384
1901Laosaurus consors Nopcsa p. 209
1901Laosaurus gracilis Nopcsa p. 209
1901Nanosaurus agilis Nopcsa p. 209
1901Nanosaurus rex Nopcsa p. 209
1902Laosaurus consors Hay p. 501
1902Laosaurus gracilis Hay p. 501
1902Nanosaurus agilis Hay p. 505
1902Nanosaurus rex Hay p. 505
1902Nanosaurus agilis Nopcsa p. 152
1902Nanosaurus rex Nopcsa p. 152
1902Laosaurus consors Nopcsa p. 153
1902Laosaurus gracilis Nopcsa p. 153
1908Nanosaurus agilis Huene and Lull p. 134
1911Laosaurus consors Lull p. 206
1914Nanosaurus agilis Huene p. 16
1916Laosaurus consors Mook p. 146
1916Laosaurus gracilis Mook p. 146
1924Laosaurus consors Gilmore p. 5
1924Laosaurus gracilis Gilmore p. 5
1925Laosaurus consors Gilmore p. 396
1925Laosaurus gracilis Gilmore p. 403
1930Nanosaurus agilis Hay p. 204
1930Nanosaurus rex Hay p. 204
1930Laosaurus consors Hay p. 206
1930Laosaurus gracilis Hay p. 206
1934Laosaurus consors Huene p. 17
1954Laosaurus gracilis Untermann and Untermann p. 90
1964Laosaurus consors Kuhn p. 7
1964Laosaurus gracilis Kuhn p. 7
1964Nanosaurus agilis Kuhn p. 8
1964Laosaurus gracilis Tatarinov p. 554 fig. 599
1967Nanosaurus rex Charig p. 716
1975Nanosaurus rex Galton p. 748
1975Laosaurus consors Thulborn p. 125
1977Othnielia rex Galton
1977Nanosaurus agilis Galton p. 230
1978Nanosaurus agilis Galton p. 156
1983Othnielia rex Galton p. 10
1983Nanosaurus agilis Galton pp. 232-233
1983Othnielia rex Galton p. 233
1983Nanosaurus agilis Weishampel and Weishampel p. 44
1983Othnielia rex Weishampel and Weishampel p. 44
1990Drinker nisti Bakker p. 3
1990Othnielia consors Bakker p. 3
1990Othnielia rex Bakker p. 3
1990Nanosaurus agilis Bakker et al. p. 8
1990Othnielia consors Bakker et al. p. 8
1990Othnielia rex Bakker et al. p. 8
1990Drinker nisti Bakker et al. p. 9
1990Othnielia rex Sues and Norman p. 500
1990Othnielia rex Thulborn p. 181
1991Nanosaurus agilis Sereno p. 173
1992Othnielia rex Weishampel and Heinrich p. 171
1994Othnielia rex Chure et al. p. 304
1994Drinker nisti Chure et al. p. 306
1994Drinker nisti Molnar and Wiffen p. 693
1996Drinker nisti Bakker p. 41 fig. 5
1997Nanosaurus agilis Carpenter p. 91
1997Drinker nisti Sues p. 357
1997Othnielia rex Sues p. 357
2002Othnielia rex Buchholz p. 19
2004Drinker nisti Norman et al. p. 394
2004Othnielia rex Norman et al. p. 395
2006Drinker nisti Chure et al. p. 237
2006Othnielia rex Chure et al. p. 237
2006Drinker nisti Mateus p. 231
2006Nanosaurus agilis Mateus p. 231
2006Othnielia rex Mateus p. 231
2006Drinker nisti Pierce p. 163
2006Othnielia rex Pierce p. 163
2007Othnielosaurus consors Galton p. 28
2007Drinker nisti Galton p. 34
2007Nanosaurus agilis Galton p. 34
2008Othnielosaurus consors Butler and Galton p. 640
2008Othnielia rex Butler et al. p. 10
2009Othnielosaurus consors Galton p. 214
2010Othnielosaurus consors Galiano and Albersdörfer p. 5
2012Nanosaurus agilis Decker p. 8
2012Othnielosaurus consors Han et al. p. 1391 fig. 14
2016Othnielosaurus consors Becerra et al. p. 559
2016Othnielosaurus consors Foster et al. p. 59
2018Nanosaurus agilis Carpenter and Galton p. 176–177
2018Othnielosaurus consors Herne et al. p. 42
2018Drinker nisti Herne et al. p. 46
2019Othnielosaurus consors Cruzado-Caballero et al. p. 216
2019Nanosaurus agilis Herne et al. p. 557
2019Othnielosaurus consors Herne et al. p. 572
2020Nanosaurus agilis Dieudonné et al.
2020Nanosaurus agilis Dieudonné et al. p. 411
2020Nanosaurus agilis Foster et al. p. 41
2023Nanosaurus agilis Manitkoon et al. p. 4

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Life
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
RankNameAuthor
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
Diapsida()
Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
Crocopoda
ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
Eucrocopoda
Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
Ornithodira
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauria()
Ornithischia()
Genasauria
Cerapoda
Ornithopoda()
genusNanosaurus
speciesagilis

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Nanosaurus agilis Marsh 1877
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Invalid names: Drinker nisti Bakker et al. 1990 [synonym], Othnielia rex Marsh 1877 [synonym], Othnielosaurus consors Marsh 1894 [synonym]
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
K. Carpenter and P. M. Galton 2018Several characters are shared by "Othnielosaurus” and “Drinker” specimens: (1) The multi-cuspid marginal denticles on the cheek teeth, once thought to be unique to the type material of “Drinker”, are now known to occur in the posterior teeth of juvenile “Othnielosaurus” (see discussion by Galton, 1983) (figure 10). (2) Some of the cheek teeth have a variably developed cingulum, often denticulate, along the posterior(?) edge that curves onto the lingual(?) face; this unusual character is otherwise only known in some Late Cretaceous ornithischians, such as Pachycephalosaurus (figure 10; Brown and Schlaikjer, 1943, plate 40, figure 1). (3) The tooth row of the dentary extends to posterior end of the tomial edge of predentary (figure 7). This can be inferred for the holotype of Nanosaurus because of how far forwards the teeth extend. (4) Jugal with ornamentation, which is an unusual feature among ornithopods (figure 11). (5) The ilium has an antitrochanter dorsal and adjacent to ischial peduncle (figure 15). (6) The brevis shelf of the ilium is narrow compared to length of postacetabular process (figure 15). (7) The pubis has a slightly compressed, tapering, rod-like anterior process figure 15). (8) The ascending ramus of the astragalus is a short, vertical spur either located near the middle of the front edge (YPM 1882) or offset towards the calcaneum (BYU 613) (see figure 17). (9) Metatarsal I is over 50% the length of metatarsal III and bears two unreduced phalanges (figure 18).
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Entire body: yeso
Adult length: 10 to < 100o
Adult width: 1.0 to < 10o
Adult height: 1.0 to < 10o
Architecture: compact or denseo
Ontogeny: accretion, modification of partso
Grouping: gregariouso
Environment: terrestrialo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: ground dwellingo
Diet: herbivoresubo
Reproduction: oviparouso
Dispersal: direct/internalo
Dispersal 2: mobileo
Created: 2009-01-03 20:40:05
Modified: 2009-01-03 22:40:05
Source: subo = suborder, o = order
References: Benton 1983, Marsh 1875

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Kimmeridgian to the top of the Early/Lower Kimmeridgian or 155.70000 to 150.80000 Ma

Collections (18 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Oxfordian - Early/Lower Kimmeridgian161.2 - 150.8USA (Wyoming) Othnielosaurus consors (126540)
Kimmeridgian157.3 - 152.1USA (Wyoming) Dryosaurus sp. (46465)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (Utah) Nanosaurus rex (47196)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (Wyoming) Drinker nisti (55486 192746 230770 231545 231574) Laosaurus gracilis, Laosaurus consors, Drinker nisti, Othnielia rex, Nanosaurus agilis (12816) Ornithischia indet., Dryosaurus sp., Othnielia sp., Allosaurus sp. (49636)
Kimmeridgian - Tithonian157.3 - 145.0USA (Colorado) Othnielosaurus consors (11611)
Late/Upper Kimmeridgian - Early/Lower Tithonian155.7 - 145.0USA (Colorado) Laosaurus gracilis (28366)
Late/Upper Kimmeridgian - Tithonian155.7 - 145.0USA (Wyoming) Ornithopoda indet. (74663)
Tithonian152.1 - 145.0USA (Wyoming) Drinker nisti (49629 177492) Laosaurus consors (39346)
Tithonian152.1 - 145.0USA (Colorado) Nanosaurus agilis (type locality: 48168) Othnielia rex (48166)