| Preprismatoolithus Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
Egg fossil classification 
| |
| Basic shell type: | †Dinosauroid-prismatic |
| Oofamily: | †Prismatoolithidae |
| Oogenus: | †Preprismatoolithus Zelenitsky & Hills, 1996 |
Preprismatoolithus is a Late Jurassic oogenus. The species P. coloradensis is described by John Foster as being "of the prismatic basic type,"1 with subspherical eggs about 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter.2 This oospecies was first attributed to "hypsilophodontid" dinosaurs, although an initial lack of associated embryo material made confirming the egg-layer's identity impossible.1 After a finding in Portugal3 associated prismatic basic types with embryos, it now is known to be theropod.
Eggshell present in great abundance at the so-called "Young Egg Locality" which seems to have been a dinosaur nesting ground.1 Congeneric eggshell fossils are found at additional Colorado sites including the Fruita Paleontological Area, the Uravan Locality and Garden Park.1
Footnotes
Footnotes
- "Another Generation: The Eggs," Foster (2007) page 239.
- "Eggs," Foster (2007) page 125.
- Ribeiro, V., Mateus O., Holwerda F., Araújo R., & Castanhinha R. (2013). Two new theropod egg sites from the Late Jurassic Lourinhã Formation, Portugal. Historical Biology. (ahead-of-print), 1-12.
References
References
- Foster, J. (2007). Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World. Indiana University Press. 389pp. ISBN 978-0-253-34870-8.