This list will include the
type fossils of each sauropodomorph
species. In
paleontology, a type specimen is, by definition, a member of a biological
taxon. Additional specimens can only be "referred" to these taxa if an expert deems them sufficiently similar to the type and publishes that opinion in the scientific literature. There is no complete, canonical list of all dinosaur taxa or holotype specimens. The primary source for this list is a book called
Dinosaur Facts and Figures: The Sauropods and Other Sauropodomorphs by Rubén Molina-Pérez and Asier Larramendi which contains every sauropodomorph species described up to the date of its completion (January 1, 2019), including dubious or very fragmentary specimens. This is supplemented by references to the
Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs by
Gregory Paul and
Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages by
Thomas Holtz and Luis Rey. Where appropriate, The Paleobiology Database and Fossilworks, which are both online databases of named fossil taxa, are used to supplement the entries from published encyclopedias which are missing or data-deficient. Another useful resource is the
Smithsonian Institution's Paleobiology Collections Database, which has a large, publicly accessible fossil collection.
Type system Types are also used to diagnose higher-level taxa than an individual. One individual might represent the "type specimen" of a particular species. This species would in turn represent the "
type species" of a particular genus, unless it is referred to a previously undescribed genus. Most dinosaur genera are monospecific, and most type specimens are also the type species of their respective genera. On this list, the type species of a genus is only noted when it belongs to a genus with multiple referred species, such as
Camarasaurus or
Plateosaurus. Furthermore, when an animal is different enough from its close relatives that it is given its own
family, it is conventional in dinosaur
systematics to name a family after the first described, most famous, or most abundant genus assigned to it. Therefore, on this list, the type species of any
type genus for a family or sub-family level taxon is also noted when appropriate. There are several different varieties of type specimens when referring to fossil animals:). For neutrality and completeness, all described species and genera of sauropodomorphs are included, even those that have been considered invalid by subsequent scientific publications. Naming conventions and terminology follow the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). Technical terms used include: •
Junior synonym: A name which describes the same taxon as a previously published name. If two or more taxa are formally designated and the type specimens are later assigned to the same taxon, the first to be published (in chronological order) is the senior synonym, and all other instances are junior synonyms. Senior synonyms are generally used, except by special decision of the ICZN, but junior synonyms cannot be used again, even if deprecated. Junior synonymy is often subjective, unless the genera described were both based on the same type specimen. •
Nomen dubium (Latin for "dubious name"): A name describing a fossil with no unique diagnostic features. This can be an extremely controversial designation, and as such, they are only notated when their supposedly dubious status has been formally published. Furthermore, if the scientific community has yet to reach a consensus on the validity of a name or taxon, the ongoing controversy will be noted. •
Nomen nudum (Latin for "naked name"): A name that has appeared in print but has not yet been formally published by the standards of the ICZN.
Nomina nuda (the plural form) are invalid and are not included on this list. •
Preoccupied name: A name that is formally published, but which has already been used for another taxon. This second use is invalid (as are all subsequent uses), and the name must be replaced.
Omissions Some sauropodomorph taxa are not included on this list.
Nomina nuda are excluded because a type does not become recognized by the ICZN until it is published in a scientific journal with a full description. Some misidentified taxa are also not included, so long as there is a scientific consensus concerning the specimen in question. If a specimen is later referred to a taxon outside Sauropodomorpha, it is not included on this list. However, specimens identified as sauropodomorphs in subsequent publications are included under the name assigned to them within Sauropodomorpha. Referred taxa are only included on the list as separate entries when their initial description includes a unique type specimen. ==List of specimens==