Name: Acanthopholis ‭(‬Spiny scales‭).
Phonetic: Ah-kan-foe-liss.
Named By: Thomas Henry Huxley‭ ‬-‭ ‬1867.
Synonyms: Syngonosaurus macrocercus
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Thyreophora,‭ ‬Ankylosauria,‭ ‬Nodosauridae.
Species: A.‭ ‬horrida‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Estimated between‭ ‬3‭ ‬and‭ ‬5.5‭ ‬meters long.‭ ‬Exact details are uncertain due to the fragmentary nature of fossils attributed to the genus.
Known locations: England,‭ ‬Kent‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cambridge Greensand.
Time period: Albian to Cenomanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Scattered and fragmentary fossils.

       Like with many early named dinosaur genera,‭ ‬the taxonomic history of Acanthopholis is in the simplest terms a mess.‭ ‬Numerous species have been named,‭ ‬reallocated,‭ ‬moved to other genera,‭ ‬and back again,‭ ‬but all of the fossils involved have been isolated bones found in association to one another.‭ ‬The first bones assigned to the genus appear to be those of a nodosaurid,‭ ‬a kind of quadrupedal dinosaur covered with armour.‭ ‬Remains of ornithopod dinosaurs have been mistakenly assigned to the genus in the past,‭ ‬furthering confusion about the validity of the genus and the species attributed to it.‭ ‬For this reason Acanthopholis is widely regarded as being a dubious genus since the available material for it is not considered diagnostic enough to identify further individuals.
       One species of Acanthopholis,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬platypus was transferred to Macrurosaurus,‭ ‬though this action has been questioned.

Further reading
-‭ ‬On Acanthopholis horridus,‭ ‬a new reptile from the Chalk-Mar,‭ ‬Thomas Henry Huxley‭ ‬-‭ ‬1867.
-‭ ‬A systematic review of ankylosaurian dinosaur remains from the Albian-Cenomanian of England,‭ ‬Xabier Pereda-Superbiola‭ & ‬Paul M.‭ ‬Barrett‭ ‬-‭ ‬1999.


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