Stellasaurus (meaning "star lizard"; both in reference to the shape of its head ornamentation and as an homage to the song "Starman" by David Bowie) is a genus of centrosaurine ceratopsid dinosaur that lived in Montana during the Late Cretaceous. The type and only species is Stellasaurus ancellae. Its remains have been found in the Late Campanian age Two Medicine Formation, the same geological unit which its relatives Rubeosaurus (now seen as a synonym of Styracosaurus), Einiosaurus, and Achelousaurus were discovered in.[1]
Originally proposed as a distinct taxon in 1992,[2] the specimens were later assigned to Rubeosaurus. In 2020 a re-evaluation questioned the referral and named it as a distinct species in a new genus. The describers saw it as a transitional form between Styracosaurus albertensis and Einiosaurus on a single evolutionary line that led to Achelousaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus.[1]
^ abWilson, John P.; Ryan, Michael J.; Evans, David C. (2020). "A new, transitional centrosaurine ceratopsid from the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana and the evolution of the Styracosaurus-line' dinosaurs". Royal Society Open Science. 7 (4): 200284. Bibcode:2020RSOS....700284W. doi:10.1098/rsos.200284. PMC 7211873. PMID 32431910.
^Horner, John R.; Varricchio, David J.; Goodwin, Mark B. (July 1992). "Marine transgressions and the evolution of Cretaceous dinosaurs". Nature. 358 (6381): 59–61. Bibcode:1992Natur.358...59H. doi:10.1038/358059a0. ISSN 0028-0836. S2CID 4283438.
Styracosaurus, Stellasaurus and Einiosaurus. It would instead involve outgrowths of the wall leg. Likewise, they do not speak of episquamosalia. Stellasaurus is placed...
orbital horns showed coarse ridges. Subsequently, "Taxon A" was named Stellasaurus, "Taxon B" became Einiosaurus, while "Taxon C" became Achelousaurus....
cautioned against synonymization. MOR 492 was moved into its own taxon, Stellasaurus ancellae, which nested alongside Einiosaurus, Achelousaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus...
in the Maastrichtian. The tribe contains five genera: Styracosaurus, Stellasaurus, Einiosaurus, Achelousaurus, and Pachyrhinosaurus. Pachyrhinosaurus and...
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