Calamosaurus foxi Calamosaurus

Calamosaurus (meaning “reed lizard”) is a genus of small theropod dinosaur, from the Early Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight, England. It is based on two cervical vertebrae (NHMUK PV R 901), collected by Reverend William Fox. These fossils come from sedimentary rocks of the Wessex Formation and are Barremian in age. The type species of Calamosaurus, named Calamospondylus foxi by Richard Lydekker, was named in honour of Fox. Calamospondylus, however, was a preoccupied name, forcing Lydekker to change the genus name to Calamosaurus. This has subsequently led to immense confusion, with some authors believing the two genera to be synonymous. The systematic position of Calamosaurus within theropods has been controversial, and placements within Compsognathidae and Ornithomimosauria have been suggested.