Names & classifications

Meso uses a conservative working classification for these hollow-crested hadrosaurs. Canardia and Aralosaurus share Aralosaurini. Pararhabdodon and Tsintaosaurus share Tsintaosaurini, with Adynomosaurus provisionally included following the 2022 analysis. Its original description left finer relationships unresolved.

Ajnabia, Minqaria, Taleta, Arenysaurus and Blasisaurus remain broadly within Lambeosaurinae. This replaces Meso’s broad Arenysaurini branch without declaring that published hypothesis conclusively disproven. No separate “basal lambeosaurines” clade or precise order of early branches is asserted. Amurosaurus remains in Lambeosaurini; Nipponosaurus, Angulomastacator and Adelolophus keep their broader placements.

This is a curated working interpretation of compatible broad relationships, rather than a claim that one published tree or universal consensus supports every placement. The original studies and alternative classifications remain documented.

Meso uses one Kulindadromeus entry and accepts Daurosaurus, Kulindapteryx and Lepidocheirosaurus as alternative guesses. The 2019 revision treats Daurosaurus and Kulindapteryx as doubtful names and includes their specimens in Kulindadromeus; it also rejects the proposed theropod identity of Lepidocheirosaurus. A separate 2023 review supports probable synonymy. This working treatment does not settle nomenclatural priority. The original profiles and fossil records remain available in the sourced roster entry.

Pyrodontia now includes Cerapoda and Thescelosauridae as well as Kulindadromeus, following the scope of Fonseca et al.’s 2024 definition. It is not a group containing only Kulindadromeus.

Carcharodontosaurus shares Carcharodontosaurinae with the South American giganotosaurins. Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus also share the narrower Giganotosaurini branch with Meraxes and Tyrannotitan.

Ankylosaurus and several close relatives belong to Ankylosaurini. Meso retains Euoplocephalini as a narrower branch within that tribe. Other ankylosaurines retain their separate or broader placements.

Pachycephalosaurus and Stegoceras anchor the published definition of Pachycephalosauridae. Meso includes the supported family members while leaving uncertain finer relationships broad. A 2025 analysis groups Alaskacephale with Sphaerotholus rather than Pachycephalosaurus, so Meso does not insist on a shared tribe for those two genera.

Wulong belongs to Microraptorinae in its original description, close to Sinornithosaurus. Meso includes that shared subfamily ancestry.

Olorotitan and Amurosaurus share Lambeosaurini with Lambeosaurus and Corythosaurus in the adopted reference classification. Older studies may call approximately the same group Corythosaurini.

Meso places Iguanodon, Mantellisaurus, Barilium and Comptonatus together in Iguanodontidae within Hadrosauriformes, following the 2024 Comptonatus analysis. Bolong retains its existing family assignment. The full membership of Iguanodontidae varies between studies.

The original Alpkarakush description supports a position in Metriacanthosaurinae alongside Sinraptor, Metriacanthosaurus and Siamotyrannus. Relationships within the family vary under different analytical weights.

Argentinosauridae was defined in 2026 using Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan. Meso groups both with Phosphatotitan in this family, adopting the published Lognkosauria placement. The broader relationships of titanosaurs remain unsettled.

Monolophosaurus has been recovered as an early-branching tetanuran or a megalosauroid in published analyses. Meso places it directly under Tetanurae, leaving its family unresolved rather than retaining a definite allosauroid placement.

Recent analyses recover Cryolophosaurus outside Averostra, among early neotheropods. Meso follows this broader placement, rather than treating it as a tetanuran. Its precise relationship to Dilophosaurus and the other early theropods remains unsettled.

Lourinhanosaurus has uncertain relationships among early tetanurans. A 2024 study recovered it as a metriacanthosaurid or a megalosaurid under different analytical methods. Meso uses Tetanurae without assigning it to Coelurosauria or choosing a disputed family.

Meso groups theropods and sauropodomorphs within Saurischia, following the traditional arrangement supported by Langer and colleagues. Baron and colleagues proposed a competing arrangement of the major dinosaur branches.

Meso follows PBDB in placing these early-dinosaur genera within Ornithischia: Amanasaurus, Asilisaurus, Diodorus, Eucoelophysis, Gamatavus, Kwanasaurus, Lewisuchus, Lutungutali, Pisanosaurus, Sacisaurus, Silesaurus, Soumyasaurus and Technosaurus. Their relationships have competing interpretations in the literature.

Meso retains Macrocollum, Unaysaurus and Jaklapallisaurus in Unaysauridae, following the dedicated 2024 studies. The 2026 Musango study presents alternative relationships with weak support. Musankwa remains at Massopoda and Pradhania in Massospondylidae.

Meso places Ceratosaurus and Genyodectes together in Ceratosauridae, as treated by Hendrickx (2026). Earlier research was more cautious about Genyodectes, which is known from incomplete jaw material.

Published analyses disagree on Berberosaurus’s finer position. Meso leaves its family unresolved within Ceratosauria.

The original description lists Ceratosauridae but also proposes possible abelisauroid affinities and calls for more complete material. Meso leaves its family unresolved within Ceratosauria.

Invictibellatrix is an early megaraptoran, outside the narrower Megaraptoridae family. Meso keeps it alongside the existing megaraptoran genera, following PBDB’s broader Coelurosauria placement. Published analyses disagree over whether Megaraptora is inside Tyrannosauroidea or its close sister group; this wider relationship is not settled. Its likely carnivorous diet is inferred from relatives, rather than teeth or gut contents preserved with its partial braincase.

Haestasaurus has been placed inside Macronaria (2015), outside Neosauropoda (2019), and in different neosauropod branches under alternative analyses (2025). Meso currently places it directly under Eusauropoda, matching its imported PBDB path. That is a working placement, not evidence that Macronaria has been ruled out; Wikipedia may follow a different study.

Janenschia’s position among sauropods remains unsettled. A 2019 analysis placed it outside Neosauropoda, while a 2025 study recovered different neosauropod placements under alternative methods. Meso currently retains the imported PBDB path directly under Eusauropoda. This does not establish that the competing placements are wrong.

Atlasaurus moves between major sauropod branches in published analyses. The 2025 study recovered either a position outside Neosauropoda or a basal macronarian under equal weighting, and a brachiosaurid under implied weighting. Meso currently retains Macronaria from its imported PBDB path; this is not a settled consensus.

Haplocanthosaurus has had competing placements among early neosauropods. Meso uses Diplodocoidea, also recovered by the 2025 analysis, which places it outside Diplodocimorpha. Older references may show another relationship.

Chilesaurus combines features associated with different dinosaur branches. Published analyses support both ornithischian and theropod placements. Meso uses the tetanuran interpretation supported by Cau (2024), also discussed by Hendrickx (2026), rather than the imported PBDB ornithischian path. This is a chosen framework, not an undisputed classification.

Published analyses disagree about the finer relationships of these bird-like dinosaurs, including troodontid and early avialan placements. Meso stops at the broader Paraves branch rather than committing to one disputed family. Wikipedia may show a more specific placement.

The names Troodon, Stenonychosaurus and Latenivenatrix have been separated or combined in different studies. Meso follows the 2025 revision’s Troodon framework and accepts all three names as equivalent winning guesses; Stenonychosaurus and Latenivenatrix are not separate mystery answers.

Caudipteryx joins the existing family; use Caudipteridae consistently. Familiar family relationship supported in both 2019 and 2026 primary research.

Kamuysaurus and Laiyangosaurus gain Edmontosaurini. Restores the expected edmontosaurin relationship without selecting exact sister taxa.

Gongshuilong gains Brachylophosaurini. Matches its original description.

Anasazisaurus and Rhinorex gain Kritosaurini. Their tribal relationship is more secure than fine branching or genus synonymy.

Qiupanykus and Nemegtonykus gain Alvarezsauridae only. Family is supported; Parvicursorinae remains disputed.

Datai and Bissektipelta gain Ankylosaurinae only. Dedicated studies support the expected subfamily; no extra tribe asserted.

Add Caenagnathoidea above Caenagnathidae and Oviraptoridae. Useful and well-supported shared ancestry.

Add Pennaraptora above Oviraptorosauria, Paraves and broadly placed scansoriopterygids. Represents accepted broad kinship without forcing scansoriopterygid fine placement.

Unite Huallasaurus, Kelumapusaura, Secernosaurus and Bonapartesaurus under Austrokritosauria at Saurolophinae. Keep the supported group without fixing its disputed Kritosaurini nesting.

Add Corythosauria for the retained Lambeosaurini and Parasaurolophini branches. Formal supported group; other lambeosaurines retain conservative resolution.

Add Euceratopsia above Leptoceratopsidae and Coronosauria. Preserves distinct leptoceratopsid and coronosaur branches.

Add Euhadrosauria above Saurolophinae and Lambeosaurinae; exclude Hadrosaurus. Consistent with the retained basal-Hadrosaurus operating tree.

Add Eucentrosaura above Centrosaurini and Pachyrhinosaurini, including the selected Stellasaurus path. Peripheral centrosaurines do not acquire unsupported finer relationships.

Add Pachyrostra for Achelousaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus. Useful supported subgroup distinct from Einiosaurus.

Add Alvarezsauridae and Patagonykinae for Patagonykus and Bonapartenykus. The dedicated 2026 holotype revision strengthens the 2025 result; avoid an exact sister relationship to other subfamilies.

Complete Bagualosauria, Plateosauria and Anchisauria; include Anchisaurus in Anchisauridae; omit the legacy Prosauropoda node and leave Yimenosaurus broad at Massopoda. Correct retained named ancestors while preserving the current genus identities and conservative placement of uncertain basal tips.

Include Titanosauriformes within the retained Camarasauromorpha. Follows the published inclusive definition; genus and family relationships already inside Titanosauriformes stay.

Adopt the 2022 Patagotitan/Saltasaurus definition, uniting Colossosauria and Saltasauroidea. Bustingorrytitan also gains the Saltasauroidea placement supported by the reduced consensus in its original analysis. More stable defining taxa than the older Epachthosaurus-based stem; preserve a compatible basal-Malawisaurus Lithostrotia layer and broad uncertain tips.

Include Lohuecotitan and Lirainosaurinae with retained Saltasauridae in Lohuecosauria under Saltasauroidea. Adopt the dedicated 2024 treatment; record rather than dismiss the 2025 Romanian alternative. Do not move every Romanian titanosaur.

Restore a coherent Styracosterna > Neoiguanodontia > Hadrosauriformes > Hadrosauroidea > Hadrosauromorpha ancestry; include Hadrosauridae and supported advanced branches. The formal anchor genera cannot be excluded from their retained groups. Ouranosaurus and Altirhinus also gain their supported hadrosauroid ancestry.

Include Allosauroidea and Coelurosauria within Avetheropoda. Choose the conventional familiar tetanuran backbone, with published Carnosauria alternatives documented; no automatic megaraptor or previously reviewed basal theropod moves.

Place Carcharodontosauridae and Neovenatoridae in the retained Carcharodontosauria alongside its existing basal genera. Restores the defining branches. Megaraptora retains its current coelurosaurian placement.

Omit the isolated Megalosauria node and keep Streptospondylus at Megalosauroidea. Avoid a historical overlapping name represented by only one non-defining genus.

Use Abelisauroidea for Abelisauridae plus Noasauridae; add Chenanisaurus to Abelisauridae; use Majungasaurinae directly within Abelisauridae; omit isolated Ceratosauroidea, Etrigansauria and Carnotaurinae nodes. Restores familiar supported families and keeps Ceratosauridae separate, rather than superimposing fragments of the 2018 alternative.

Add Eusauropoda and the retained Cetiosauridae to Cetiosaurus. Expected family association has dedicated 2021 support; do not expand to all proposed peripheral cetiosaurids.

Put Kank in the existing Unenlagiinae within Dromaeosauridae, and omit its isolated Unenlagiidae node. Translate supported unenlagiid kinship into the currently adopted rank/affinity convention, with alternative family treatment documented. No exact sister genus or new Pamparaptor assignment.

Add Dryosauridae to Callovosaurus with an uncertainty note. The familiar interpretation is still used in 2025 primary work. Very incomplete material and newer alternative trees prevent calling it an uncontested correction.

Add Shamosaurinae for Shamosaurus and Gobisaurus. A familiar defined clade still recovered by one 2024 Datai analysis. A second dataset recovers a grade; document that rather than claim consensus.

Add Pachyrhinosaurini to Stellasaurus using the 2021 maximum-clade definition, plus Eucentrosaura. Original support and compatible later relative placement justify this interpretation. Do not confuse a narrower tribal label with the adopted maximum-clade definition.

Meso places Ledumahadi in Lessemsauridae under its broad Sauropoda convention. Strong family membership; the Sauropoda boundary is a naming convention rather than a reason to isolate the genus.

Adopt the familiar five-genus Afrovenatorinae: Afrovenator, Dubreuillosaurus, Leshansaurus, Magnosaurus and Piveteausaurus; leave Eustreptospondylus at Megalosauridae. A defensible documented 2012 operating model despite 2016/2024/2025 alternatives. Excluding Eustreptospondylus also avoids superimposing the 2016 expanded older subfamily name.

Use Struthiosaurini within the familiar broad Nodosauridae for Europelta, Hungarosaurus, Struthiosaurus, Pawpawsaurus and Stegopelta; do not perform the four-family ankylosaur rewrite or add Anoplosaurus automatically. Kinship of the core is better supported than a uniform rank and family framework. The formal 2021 reference membership supplies a coherent bounded subgroup.