Cranial anatomy and variation inProsaurolophus maximus(Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae)

A new analysis challenges the distinction between two species of hadrosaurid dinosaurs, Prosaurolophus maximus and P. blackfeetensis, suggesting that the latter is a junior synonym of the former. This conclusion, supported by cranial morphometric data and phylogenetic analysis, extends the temporal range of P. maximus to 1.6 million years with no significant morphological change, indicating prolonged stasis in this taxon. The study examines ten articulated skulls from Dinosaur Provincial Park (Canada) and compares them with material from Montana (USA), revealing substantial variation in nasal crest morphology that precludes species-level differentiation.

McGarrity, C. T., Campione, N. E., & Evans, D. C. (2013). Cranial anatomy and variation inProsaurolophus maximus(Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 167(4), 531–568. https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12009