Pronunciation: sty-RAK-oh-SOR-us
Meaning: Spike lizard
Author/s: Lambe (1913)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Alberta, Canada
Discovery Chart Position: #107
Styracosaurus albertensis
Etymology
Styracosaurus is derived from the Greek "styrax" (spike on the end of a spear) and "sauros" (lizard), referring to the huge spikes on its frill. The species epithet, albertensis, means "from Alberta" in Latin.
Discovery
The holotype of Styracosaurus (CMN 344) is an almost complete skull collected by C.H. Sternberg from Sternberg Quarry 106 (aka RTMP Quarry 16, Happy Jack Ferry) in Dinosaur Park Formation (Belly River Group), Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. The rest of its skeleton was collected in 1935 by Sternberg's son Levi for the University of Toronto and the entire skeleton now resides in the collections of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Gatineau, Quebec. Subsequently, its remains were bolstered with the holotype of Styracosaurus parksi (AMNH 5372) from Middle Fork of Sand Creek in the Dinosaur Park Formation which turned out to be synonymous, and at least one expert believes that Monoclonius nasicornus, whose holotype (AMNH 5351) was found at RTMP Quarry 105, which is also at Sand Creek, represent female Styracosaurus. Most palaeontologists, however, regard the latter as a synonym of Centrosaurus apertus.
