Cetiosauriscus is often confused with the similarly named Cetiosaurus, and this is no accident. The name Cetiosauriscus means ‘whale-lizard-like’, a reference to Cetiosaurus which itself means ‘whale-lizard’, so when Friedrich von Huene named the genus in 1927, he was actually saying that Cetiosauriscus was similar to Cetiosaurus. When the genus was first named the type species of Cetiosauriscus was C. leedsi, however later studies cast doubt upon the validity of the type fossil material used to designate this species. In what was a landmark study for the Cetiosauriscus genus, A. J. Charig named a new species of Cetiosauriscus as C. stewarti, based upon a partial post cranial skeleton (BMNH R.3078) found near the town of Peterborough. Noting that other species of Cetiosauriscus, including the type species were dubious on the grounds that the remains were fairly indistinct, Charig successfully petitioned the ICZN (The body that governs the naming of animals) to make Cetiosauriscus stewarti the genoholotype of Cetiosauriscus. What this means is that from now on all fossil material submitted to the Cetiosauriscus genus must now be compared to the fossils of C. stewarti and not C. leedsi before being added as new specimens.
Although the basis of the name Cetiosauriscus means a similarity to Cetiosaurus von Huene himself noted that Cetiosauriscus had much longer vertebrae than those attributed to Cetiosaurus. Because of the length of these vertebrae, Cetiosauriscus has been identified as a possible diplodocid sauropod dinosaur (similar to Diplodocus) upon more than one occasion. The type fossil material of C. stewarti (BMNH R.3078) has even been reported as possibly containing the whiplash of the tail that is commonly associated with diplodocid sauropods. If the interpretation of Cetiosauriscus as a diplodocid is correct, then Cetiosauriscus may well represent one of if not the earliest appearance of a sauropod dinosaur. However a 2007 paper (Naish & Martill) cast some doubt upon the diplodocid interpretation, stating that the vertebrae of Cetiosauriscus are also similar to those of the mamenchisaurid sauropods (similar to Mamenchisaurus).
Although the basis of the name Cetiosauriscus means a similarity to Cetiosaurus von Huene himself noted that Cetiosauriscus had much longer vertebrae than those attributed to Cetiosaurus. Because of the length of these vertebrae, Cetiosauriscus has been identified as a possible diplodocid sauropod dinosaur (similar to Diplodocus) upon more than one occasion. The type fossil material of C. stewarti (BMNH R.3078) has even been reported as possibly containing the whiplash of the tail that is commonly associated with diplodocid sauropods. If the interpretation of Cetiosauriscus as a diplodocid is correct, then Cetiosauriscus may well represent one of if not the earliest appearance of a sauropod dinosaur. However a 2007 paper (Naish & Martill) cast some doubt upon the diplodocid interpretation, stating that the vertebrae of Cetiosauriscus are also similar to those of the mamenchisaurid sauropods (similar to Mamenchisaurus).
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