Critter of the Day, 5/7/09: Nedoceratops

A strange name for a strange dinosaur - Nedoceratops hatcheri, formerly "Diceratops hatcheri", was renamed in 2007 by Ukrainsky, the former name having been coined by Richard Swan Lull. This poor ceratopsian (Triceratops and its ilk) was yet another incident of a dinosaur's name being changed, the name having been occupied by a bug (yes, a bug. See also, Dryptosaurus, Mononykus), in this case those pesky hymenoptera (assorted oddball bugs including bees and ants). Though on first inspection it is quite similar to its close cousin Triceratops (in fact, some scientists think that Nedoceratops is the closest relative of the more famous ceratopsid), this species differs from its larger, more popular relative by the fact that rather than a nose horn, it has a rounded lump similar to that found on the primitive ceratopsian Zuniceratops.