Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Pachycephalosauridae

Reptilia - Pachycephalosauridae

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1945Pachycephalosauridae Sternberg pp. 535-6
1956Pachycephalosauridae Romer p. 631
1963Pachycephalosauridae Parsch p. 4
1964Pachycephalosauridae Estes p. 144
1964Pachycephalosauridae Kuhn p. 30
1964Pachycephalosauridae Tatarinov p. 588
1966Pachycephalosauridae Kuhn p. 103
1966Pachycephalosauridae Romer p. 370
1967Pachycephalosauridae Charig p. 716
1970Pachycephalosauridae Swinton p. 200
1971Pachycephalosauridae Galton p. 40
1974Pachycephalosauridae Galton p. 1064 fig. 6
1974Pachycephalosauridae Maryańska and Osmólska p. 50
1974Pachycephalosauridae Thulborn p. 173
1977Pachycephalosauridae Rozhdestvensky p. 114
1977Pachycephalosauridae Thulborn p. 726 fig. 1
1978Pachycephalosauridae Bonaparte p. 331
1978Pachycephalosauridae Dong p. 225
1979Pachycephalosauridae Benton p. 143
1979Pachycephalosauridae Sues and Taquet
1979Gravitholus Wall and Galton pp. 1180-1181
1979Pachycephalosauridae Wall and Galton p. 1185
1980Pachycephalosauridae Bonaparte p. 82
1980Gravitholus Currie pp. 29-30
1980Pachycephalosauridae Ostrom p. 22
1981Pachycephalosauridae McIntosh p. 35
1983Gravitholus Dodson p. 95
1983Pachycephalosauridae Zhao p. 301
1984Pachycephalosauridae Norman pp. 160-162 fig. 2
1984Gravitholus Russell p. 25
1984Pachycephalosauridae Russell p. 29
1985Pachycephalosauridae Cooper p. 291
1986Pachycephalosauridae Bakker p. 461
1986Gravitholus Clemens p. 80
1986Tholocephalidae Sereno
1987Gravitholus Sues and Galton
1987Pachycephalosauridae Sues and Galton
1988Gravitholus Carroll
1988Pachycephalosauridae Carroll
1990Gravitholus Maryanska p. 566
1990Pachycephalosauridae Maryanska p. 566
1992Pachycephalosauridae Dong p. 166
1994Gravitholus Olshevsky and Ford p. 91
1994Pachycephalosauridae Olshevsky and Ford p. 91
1997Pachycephalosauridae Sereno p. 443
1997Pachycephalosauridae Sues p. 512
1998Pachycephalosauridae Goodwin et al. p. 363
1998Pachycephalosauridae Sereno p. 62
1999Pachycephalosauridae Sereno p. 2138 fig. 2
2000Pachycephalosauridae Sereno p. 482
2001Pachycephalosauridae Eberth et al. p. 57
2001Pachycephalosauridae Peng et al. p. 36
2003Pachycephalosauridae Williamson and Carr fig. 11
2004Gravitholus Maryanska et al. p. 465
2004Pachycephalosauridae Maryanska et al. p. 465
2006Pachycephalosauridae Sullivan p. 349
2008Pachycephalosauridae Butler et al. pp. 22-23 figs. 2-4
2010Texacephale Longrich et al.
2010Texacephale langstoni Longrich et al. p. 276 figs. 3-5
2011Pachycephalosauridae Jasinski and Sullivan p. 202
2011Pachycephalosauridae Watabe et al. p. 490
2012Pachycephalosauridae Han et al. p. 1391 fig. 14
2013Pachycephalosauridae Evans et al. p. 2
2013Texacephale langstoni Longrich et al. p. 24
2021Pachycephalosauridae Woodruff et al. p. 588 fig. 14

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

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

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.

Fm. †Pachycephalosauridae Sternberg 1945
show all | hide all
G. †Amtocephale Watabe et al. 2011
hide
Amtocephale gobiensis Watabe et al. 2011
G. †Colepiocephale Sullivan 2003
hide
Colepiocephale lambei Sternberg 1945
G. †Hanssuesia Sullivan 2003
hide
Hanssuesia sternbergi Brown and Schlaikjer 1943
Subfm. †Pachycephalosaurinae Sereno 1997
hide
G. †Acrotholus Evans et al. 2013
+
Acrotholus audeti Evans et al. 2013
G. †Foraminacephale Schott and Evans 2017
+
Foraminacephale brevis Lambe 1918
G. †Platytholus Horner et al. 2023
+
Platytholus clemensi Horner et al. 2023
G. †Sphaerotholus Williamson and Carr 2003
+
Sphaerotholus buchholtzae Williamson and Carr 2003
Sphaerotholus edmontonensis Brown and Schlaikjer 1943
Sphaerotholus goodwini Williamson and Carr 2003
Sphaerotholus lyonsi Woodruff et al. 2023
Sphaerotholus triregnum Woodruff et al. 2023
Unr. †Pachycephalosaurini Sullivan 2003
hide
G. †Alaskacephale Sullivan 2006
+
Alaskacephale gangloffi Sullivan 2006
G. †Tylocephale Maryańska and Osmólska 1974
hide
Tylocephale gilmorei Maryańska and Osmólska 1974
Invalid names: Gravitholus Wall and Galton 1979 [nomen dubium], Texacephale Longrich et al. 2010 [nomen dubium], Tholocephalidae Sereno 1986 [synonym]
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
C. M. Sternberg 1945Abdominal cuirass of segmented ribs; premaxillae with (or without) teeth; teeth in a single row (faces of crowns vertically ribbed, edges denticulate, base expanded); domelike thickening of parietal and frontal bones (occipetal condyle strongly deflected, neck probably strongly arched as in the Hadrosauridae); dorsal vertebrae having zygapophyses with tongue and groove articulation; pelvic bones resembling the Ceratopsia in the horizontal widening of the preacetabular portion of the ilium and ischium without obturator process and with an elongated pubic process.
T. Maryańska and H. Osmólska 1974Bipedal, highly specialized ornithischians, small to moderate in size. Pubis does not take part in formation of acetabulum. Skull roof thickened, flat to dome-like. Supratemporal fenestra usually closed in highly domed forms. Antorbital fenestra occasionally present. Maxilla penetrated by extensive intramaxillary sinus. Epipterygoid present and being in contact with the prootic. Orbits anteriorly and medially closed by accessory sphenethmoidal ossifications. Quadrate with tendency to oblique po sition ofits dorsal portion. Jugal excluded from posterior boundary ofinfratemporal fenestra and together with quadratojugal strongly expanded ventrally to level ofarticular surface ofquadrate. Basicranial region strongly shortened (sag.), nearly completely separated from palatal and suborbital regions by extension of quadrate and pterygoid and by juncture of basisphenoid and prootic with quadrate wing of the pterygoid. Basal tubera thin, plate-like. Occipital and basicranial regions usually placed almost in the same vertical plane. Premaxillary dentition present, heterodonty more or less pronounced. Dentition weak, teeth arranged in one row, enameled on both sides. External skull bones strongly ornamented. Dorsal vertebrae mostly with tongue and groove articulation of zygapophyses. Caudal ribs strongly developed on anterior caudals. Tibia shorter or equal in length to femur. Pes tetradactyl.
R. M. Sullivan 2006Ornithischian dinosaurs with thickened, fully-flat or incipiently to fully-domed frontoparietals, broad and flattened postorbital-squamosal bar; supratemporal fenestrae absent to well-developed; broad exposure of the occiput; quadrate and ventral surface of squamosal (occipital plate) directed anteroventrally; squamosals developed into deep plates on the occiput with greatly enlarged upper-outer corners; two supraorbital elements lateral to the frontal; arched premaxillary-maxillary diastema; broad postorbital-jugal bar, plate-shaped basal tubera, variably developed nodes on the squamosal (either in rows or clusters), nasals and other parts of the skull.
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
Maximum body mass: 100 kgg
Minimum body mass: 30 kgg
Architecture: compact or denseo
Ontogeny: accretion, modification of partso
Grouping: gregariouso
Environment: terrestrialo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: ground dwellingo
Diet: herbivoreo
Reproduction: oviparouso
Dispersal: direct/internalo
Dispersal 2: mobileo
Created: 2004-12-14 12:50:52
Modified: 2004-12-14 14:50:52
Source: g = genus, o = order
References: Marsh 1875, Peczkis 1995

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Santonian to the top of the Lancian or 85.80000 to 66.00000 Ma

Collections (72 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Cenomanian - Santonian100.5 - 83.6Mongolia (Omnogov) Pachycephalosauria indet. (127666)
Late/Upper Santonian85.8 - 83.5Canada (Alberta) Acrotholus audeti (125521) Stegoceras sp. (68656)
Campanian83.6 - 72.1Canada (Alberta) Stegoceras brevis (64649 64650 64651) Troodon sternbergi (64648 64656)
Campanian83.6 - 72.1USA (Montana) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (22691 59373)
Early/Lower Campanian83.5 - 70.6Mexico (Coahuila) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (113768)
Early/Lower Campanian - Middle Campanian83.5 - 70.6USA (Utah) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (230891)
Judithian83.5 - 70.6USA (Texas) Troodon sp. (14488 14489)
Late/Upper Campanian83.5 - 70.6USA (Texas) Stegoceras sp. (96599 96600 96601) Texacephale langstoni (94373)
Late/Upper Campanian83.5 - 70.6USA (New Mexico) Pachycephalosauria indet. (53515) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (36541 53517)
Late/Upper Campanian83.5 - 70.6Canada (Alberta) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (22697 45261 45262 45264 45671 45898 45899 47816 67871 67873 89605) Sphaerotholus lyonsi (233410) Stegoceras brevis, Stegoceras validus (60877)
Middle Campanian83.5 - 70.6Canada (Alberta) Gravitholus albertae (72144) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (45240 45560 45564 45566 45567 47794 47795 47809 67884 181024) Stegoceras sp. (59378 59379) Troodon sp. (64654)
Middle Campanian - Late/Upper Campanian83.5 - 70.6Canada (Alberta) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (45819 45821)
Middle Campanian - Late/Upper Campanian83.5 - 70.6USA (Texas) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (68001 68003) Texacephale langstoni (22709)
Middle Campanian - Late/Upper Campanian83.5 - 70.6Mongolia (Omnogov) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (181419)
Late/Upper Campanian - Early/Lower Maastrichtian83.5 - 66.0Canada (Alberta) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (162136)
Late/Upper Campanian - Maastrichtian83.5 - 66.0Canada (Alberta) Troodon edmontonensis (64653)
Maastrichtian72.1 - 66.0USA (Montana) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (85498 85499) Stegoceras edmontonense (53516)
Maastrichtian72.1 - 66.0Mongolia (Omnogov) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (37019)
Early/Lower Maastrichtian70.6 - 66.0USA (Alaska) Pachycephalosaurinae indet. (53494)
Lancian70.6 - 66.0USA (South Dakota) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (14537 192251)
Lancian70.6 - 66.0USA (North Dakota) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (137712 137715)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian70.6 - 66.0USA (Montana) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (13142) Platytholus clemensi (230093) Sphaerotholus triregnum (152397)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian70.6 - 66.0Canada (Saskatchewan) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (54105) Pachycephalosaurinae indet. (223799) Sphaerotholus buchholtzae (170675)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian70.6 - 66.0USA (Wyoming) Pachycephalosauridae indet. (22638)