Ferganocephale

• Kyrgyzstan

Ferganocephale is a known only by individual teeth genus of bird Beck dinosaurs ( Ornithischia ), possibly from the group of Pachycephalosauria. Only species described is F. adenticulatum.

The teeth show strong signs of wear and are therefore difficult to interpret. The describer identified as Ferganocephale Pachycephalosaurier, partly due to the cingulum ( A neighborhood on the neck of the tooth enamel bead of ), asymmetric crowns and different tooth types ( Heterodontie ). Other authors such as Robert Sullivan doubt this membership, keep the finds but too sparse for a systematic mapping and run it as a nomen dubium.

The finds were discovered in the Balabansai Formation in the Kyrgyz part of the Ferghanatales and first described in 2005. The genus name is derived from the locality and the Greek kephale ( = " head"), a common name component in Pachycephalosauriern, from. Only known species is F. adenticulatum. The finds are in the Middle Jurassic ( Callovian ), dated to around 166-163 million years.

If Ferganocephale one of the Pachycephalosauria, he is the only known from the Jurassic and hence the oldest members of this group. Apart from also controversial findings ( Stenopelix and Yaverlandia ) from the Lower Cretaceous, these dinosaurs are otherwise occupied only from the Upper Cretaceous.