In Depth
Originally described as belonging to a species of Megalosaurus in 1884, Friedrich von Huene renamed the fossils of teeth and vertebrae to Altispinax in 1923. This name reflects the size of the neural spines of the vertebrae, fossils that were later attributed to the genus after it was established upon the description of teeth. The vertebrae of Altispinax were once removed to create a new dinosaur genus named Becklespinax. This led to Altispinax becoming a tooth taxon for many years until a 2016 review of the fossils by Maisch led to the vertebrae being moved back into Altispinax, thus rendering Becklespinax a synonym to Altispinax.
Further Reading
– A revision of the parainfraclass Archosauria Cope, 1869, excluding the advanced Crocodylia. – Mesozoic Meanderings 2:1-196 – G. Olshevsky – 1991. – The nomenclatural status of the carnivorous dinosaur genus Altispinax v. Huene, 1923 (Saurischia, Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of England. – Neues Jahrbuch f�r Geologie und Pal�ontologie – Abhandlungen, 280(2): 215-219. M. W. Maisch – 2016.
