In Depth
There is a lot of mystery surrounding Iliosuchus as the genus is only based upon the description of three ilia. These parts are not diagnostic enough to clearly identify what kind of theropod dinosaur Iliosuchus was, though in England during the Mid Jurassic the dominant theropod dinosaurs were the megalosaurs. A similarity to some tyrannosaurs has been noted however, a link that might not be that farfetched given that tyrannosauroid genera such as Juratyrant are known to have been present in England later in the Jurassic, and evolution tells us that these would have needed ancestors earlier in the Jurassic, perhaps about the time of Iliosuchus.
Further Reading
- Die fossile Reptil-Ordnung Saurischia, ihre Entwicklung und Geschichte. - Monographien zur Geologie und Palaeontologie, serie 1 4(1-2): 1-361. - Friedrich von Huene - 1932. - An assessment of variability in theropod dinosaur remains from the Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) of Stonesfield and New Park Quarry, UK and taxonomic implications for Megalosaurus bucklandii and Iliosuchus incognitus. - Palaeontology 52 857-877. - R. B. J. Benson - 2009.
