This list of specimens is a comprehensive catalogue of all type specimens and their scientific designations for each genus and species within the clade Sauropodomorpha.
Sauropodomorpha is a clade of saurischian dinosaurs that includes the largest land animals to have ever existed on Earth, such as Argentinosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Patagotitan. The clade "sauropodomorpha" was created based on the earlier-named and slightly more exclusive clade, Sauropoda. This clade was named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878; it translates to "lizard feet", in reference to the fact that sauropods were unique among the dinosaurs known at the time for having five toes, instead of three (such as in theropods and ornithopods). "Sauropodomorpha" then roughly translates to "in the likeness of the lizard feet". The first sauropodomorph to be described was Cardiodon, named by Sir Richard Owen, although he did not recognize at the time that it was a dinosaur.
Sauropodomorphs were among the first dinosaur groups to appear, originating in the late Triassic period. While ancestrally bipedal, sauropodomorphs increased in mass throughout the Triassic and quadrupedal forms evolved. In the Jurassic period, the first unequivocal sauropods appeared. Thereafter, sauropods lived until the end of the Cretaceous period, and were present on every continent, including Antarctica. The largest sauropods have been estimated to weigh at least 70 metric tons, larger than any other animals besides the largest cetaceans, and possibly even larger.
Scope and terminology 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: Holotype: This is the most common and simplest form of type specimen. A holotype is the first specimen of a fossil taxon described in the scientific literature. To qualify as a true holotype, all of the fossils of the type must belong to the same individual animal. All type specimens on this list are holotypes, unless otherwise indicated. Paratype(s): These are described in the same publication as the holotype. A paratype is designated when the fossil material is diagnostic enough to belong to the same species as the holotype, but it is not from the same individual animal. In these cases, the holotype and paratype(s) are collectively called the "type series" for that taxon. On this list, paratypes are noted in the same entry as their associated holotype. Neotype: When a holotype specimen is lost, destroyed, or otherwise unable to be studied further by scientists, a new type specimen for that taxon is required to identify future material. On this list, neotypes are given their own entries only when the holotype was never formally assigned a specimen number; otherwise, they are noted in the holotype entry. Syntype(s): This is a type series in which no single specimen is selected to serve as a holotype, nor are any designated as paratypes. This is typically done when the fossil material is believed to be from multiple animals, but none of the individual animals were well enough preserved to provide a complete list of diagnostic characters. These are also sometimes called "cotypes" in publications, although this is discouraged by the ICZN. Lectotype: When a single type specimen from a series of syntypes is designated as the new primary type specimen in a subsequent publication, this is considered to be a lectotype. On this list, lectotypes are given their own entries. Paralectotype(s): When a lectotype is designated from a series of syntypes, the remaining syntypes become paralectotypes as part of a reorganized type series. On this list, paralectotypes are noted alongside the list entry for the lectotype of their respective series. Plastotype: Sometimes, if a cast of a type specimen is made and the original type specimen is lost or destroyed, the cast can be used for diagnostic referral to a taxon. Plastotypes are included in this list only if the holotype was not assigned a specimen number. Otherwise, they are noted alongside the holotype entry. Topotype: When a specimen is discovered from the same locality as a holotype specimen, it may be given a new specimen number. If the second specimen is later determined to belong to the same animal as the holotype after the holotype has been described, it becomes a topotype.
All name-bearing type specimens (i.e., holotypes, lectotypes, neotypes, and syntypes) have unique entries on this list, and non-name-bearing types (i.e., paratypes, paralectotypes, topotypes, and holotypes that a neotype has subsumed) are noted alongside their name-bearing counterpart.
Validity Some described species are later determined to be invalid by subsequent scientific publications. However, invalid species are sometimes resurrected, such as in the case of Brontosaurus, and sometimes the validity of a species can be controversial among researchers (e.g. the case of Torosaurus and Triceratops). 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 Binomial name: All animal species are given a unique binomial name, typically consisting of Latin or Greek words which are used to formally and scientifically identify each species. Catalogue number: In most museum collections, each fossil specimen will be given a unique catalogue number, which is published with the description of the fossils after they are prepared. This serves as a formal name for each described fossil, allowing authors to refer to individual fossil discoveries in the scientific literature by name. Institution: Most published fossils are stored in museum collections or at universities. This is also true of type specimens, many of which are on display in museums around the world. If a type specimen has been lost, the last known location of the type is listed. Age: The geological stage from which the specimen was recovered is listed, when it is known. The exact ages of some geological formations are unknown. If this is the case, a range of possible ages is given. Unit: Most fossils are recovered from named geologic formations (e.g., the Morrison Formation or the Hell Creek Formation). When this is not the case, a city or landmark near the locality from which the fossil was recovered is listed. Material: The vast majority of fossils do not preserve the complete skeleton of an animal. In these cases, the specific bones that are fossilized have been listed. Notes: Other general information, such as the validity status of the taxon in question, or any other material in the type series, may be listed here.