The genus was named in 1990 by Richard L. Cifelli for species that had previously been described as members of
Alphadon, with the name after the
Latin word
Turgidus: "swollen". The type species is
T. praesagus, first named in 1952 by Russell as a species of
Delphodon for a tooth from the
Oldman Formation of
Alberta. As well,
Turgidodon includes
T. rhaister, named in 1966 by Clemens as a species of
Alphadon from the
Lance Formation,
T. russelli, named in 1979 by Fox as a species of
Alphadon also from the Oldman Formation,
T. parapraesagus, named in 1987 by Rigby and Wolfberg as a species of
Alphadon from the Forest Fauna, and two species named in 1990 by Cifelli:
T. lillegraveni and
T. madseni. Both
T. lillengraveni and
T. madseni are from the
Kaiparowits Formation of
Utah, and named after paleontologists important to the studies of early mammals. ==References==