Spicomellus
| Spicomellus Temporal range:
Middle Jurassic, | |
|---|---|
| Skeletal reconstruction including the holotype (yellow) and referred (white) specimens | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | †Ornithischia |
| Clade: | †Thyreophora |
| Clade: | †Ankylosauria |
| Genus: | †Spicomellus Maidment et al., 2021 |
| Species: | †S. afer
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Spicomellus afer Maidment et al., 2021
| |
Spicomellus is an extinct genus of unusual early ankylosaurian dinosaur from the El Mers III Formation (Bathonian age) of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, Spicomellus afer, representing the oldest named definitive ankylosaur. The species was initially described in 2021 based on a single rib with fused osteoderms, rendering its life appearance and relationships uncertain. In 2025, several additional bones, including osteoderms and cranial and postcranial remains, were described, revealing that it bears a unique array of spines over the body, including extremely elongated spikes around the neck and pelvis. It likely had a tail weapon, making it the oldest known ankylosaur with this structure.