Belodon

{{Short description|Extinct genus of reptiles}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = [[Triassic]], {{Fossil range|205.6|201.6|ref=<ref name=fossilworks/>}} | image = Belodon sp teeth.jpg | image_caption = | taxon = Belodon | authority = [[Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer|von Meyer]], 1844 | type_species = †'''''Belodon plieningeri''''' | type_species_authority = von Meyer, 1844 | subdivision_ranks = Other species | subdivision = *''Belodon lepturus'' Cope, 1870 *''Belodon scolopax'' Cope, 1881 *''Belodon validus'' Marsh, 1893 | synonyms = *''Belodon kapffi'' von Meyer, 1861 (now ''[[Nicrosaurus]]'') }} [[File:Belodon.jpg|thumb|250px|left|An outdated reconstruction of ''Belodon'' and ''[[Aetosaurus]]''. The [[skull]] of ''Belodon'' is based on ''[[Nicrosaurus|Nicrosaurus kapffi]]'', and the [[carapace]] on ''[[Paratypothorax]]'']]

'''''Belodon''''' (meaning "arrow tooth") is a dubious [[genus]] of [[phytosaur]], a crocodile-like reptile that lived during the [[Triassic]]. Its fossils have been found in [[Europe]], [[North America]], and [[India]]. The [[type species]], ''Belodon plieningeri'', was named by prolific German [[paleontology|paleontologist]] [[Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer]] in 1844. Its type specimen is based on several teeth.

Many other species were also named, among them ''Belodon buceros'' (named by [[Edward Drinker Cope]] in 1881),<ref name="Cope1881">Cope, E.D. (1881). "''Belodon'' in New Mexico". ''American Naturalist'' 15: 922-923.</ref> ''Belodon kapffi'' (von Meyer, 1861), ''Belodon lepturus'' (Cope, 1870),<ref name="Cope1870">Cope, E.D. (1870). "Reptilia of the Triassic Formation of the United States". ''American Naturalist'' 4: 562-563.</ref> ''Belodon priscus'' (originally described as ''Compsosaurus priscus'' by [[Joseph Leidy]] in 1856),<ref name="Leidy">Leidy, J. (1856). "Notice of some remains of extinct vertebrated animals". ''Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 163-165.</ref> ''Belodon scolopax'' (Cope, 1881),<ref name="Cope1881"/> and ''Belodon validus'' ([[Othniel Charles Marsh]], 1893).<ref name="Marsh1893">Marsh, O.C. (1893). "Restoration of ''Anchisaurus''". ''The American Journal of Science''. Series 3 45: 169-170.</ref> It is now known that phytosaur teeth aren't of taxonomic utility, and thus, ''Belodon'' is an invalid species, with several of the specimens referred to it now considered either ''[[Mystriosuchus]]'', ''[[Machaeroprosopus]]'', or ''[[Nicrosaurus]]''.

==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=fossilworks>{{cite web |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=38295 |title=†''Belodon'' Meyer 1844 |work=Paleobiology Database |publisher=Fossilworks |access-date=17 December 2021}}</ref> }}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-24 |title=Triassic Period {{!}} Plants, Animals, Major Events, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Triassic-Period |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070328204157/http://www.dinosauria.com/dml/names/phyto.htm Phytosauria Translation and Pronunciation Guide] from Dinosauria.com

[[Category:Phytosauria]] [[Category:Prehistoric reptile genera]] [[Category:Late Triassic reptiles of Europe]] [[Category:Late Triassic reptiles of North America]] [[Category:Fossil taxa described in 1844]] [[Category:Taxa named by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer]]