City Research Online

Abstract

A new partial skeleton of the armoured ornithischian dinosaur Polacanthus found in the Wadhurst Clay Formation (Valanginian stage) of Bexhill, Sussex is the oldest recorded occurrence of this taxon. Previous discoveries suggested that at least two armoured ornithischians occur in the Wealden succession: Polacanthus, which was mostly restricted to the Barremian, and Hylaeosaurus, which was recorded as present only in the Valanginian. The new discovery extends the stratigraphic range of Polacanthus into the Valanginian. Although these two taxa appear to be closely similar anatomically, their osteology now suggests they are not synonymous. The new specimen includes the first known jugal as well as a comparatively rare polacanthid plate/spine (splate) which probably comes from the shoulder (pectoral) area of these animals.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Proceedings of the Geologists' Association. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, Volume 125, Issue 2, March 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2014.01.002
Publisher Keywords:	Polacanthus, Hylaeosaurus, Valanginian, Barremian, Wealden, Cretaceous
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Nursing
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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