Meaning
From Brighstone
Length
7 m (23 feet)
Classification
Ornithopoda Marsh, 1881
Iguanodontia Dollo, 1888
Hadrosauriformes Sereno, 1997
Brighstoneus simmondsi Lockwood, Martill and Maidment 2021
Locations
MIWG 6344 was excavated during 1978, from a plant debris bed to the west of Grange Chine on the south coast of the Isle of Wight
Brighstoneus was a herbivorous dinosaur, feeding on the plants, such as conifers, cycads and tree-ferns that are found in the Wessex Formation. This particular specimen was found in association with Neovenator, so was either predated on, or scavenged by, that theropod dinosaur.
It has been noted that Brighstoneus is both quadrupedal and bipedal, although trackway evidence suggests it favoured the former.
Brighstoneus differs from all other iguanodontians by possessing the following autapomorphies and unique combination of characters (autapomorphies indicated with an asterisk): maxillary crowns possessing both a primary ridge and mesially placed accessory ridges on the lingual surface*; nasal expanded postnarially to produce a modest nasal bulla with convex lateral walls*. A character combination of at least 28 dentary tooth positions in a dentary with one active crown and one replacement tooth for each position and non-parallel alveolar septa.
In addition, Brighstoneus can be distinguished from other Barremian–Aptian Wealden Group iguanodontians by possession of the following combination of features: ratio of precoronoid length of the dentary to minimum depth > 6.0; coronoid process projects at approximately 90° with respect to the dorsal margin of dentary; bilobed ‘heart-shaped’ ventral predentary process with prominent anterior denticles with concave mesial and distal edges; posteriorly positioned maxillary ascending process in lateral view with length of the anterior section approximately twice the length of the posterior section; prominent anterodorsal process present on maxilla; anterior (maxillary) process of jugal relatively long (60% of overall length) and tapers distally to form a triangular ending; ventral section of the posterior margin of the jugal (heel) projects posteriorly to form a spur-like feature; in dorsal view the jugal is straight; ventral border overlapped by maxillary process of premaxilla; anteroventral nasal process forms posteroventral margin of external narial opening; ventral surface of ischiadic peduncle of ilium parallel with the anteroventral margin of the postacetabular process; ischiadic peduncle of ilium has flat lateral wall with no pronounced posterolateral boss; ventral shelf at base of iliac preacetabular process weakly developed; dorsoventrally deep preacetabular process with little or no axial twist; deep and short iliac central plate with ratio of depth to length > 1.2.