opisthocoelous

Adjective

opisthocoelous (not comparable)

1. concave behind; applied especially to vertebrae in which the anterior end of the centrum is convex and the posterior concave
   • Specimen 1912VIII64 was opisthocoelous, pleurocoelous, and caudally wider than tall, as in Epachthosaurus and Pellegrinisaurus (15), and may pertain to Paralititan.2001 June 1, Joshua B. Smith et al., “A Giant Sauropod Dinosaur from an Upper Cretaceous Mangrove Deposit in Egypt”, in Science, volume 292, number 5522, →DOI, pages 1704–1706
   • On the basis of the presence of slightly opisthocoelous vertebrae in the Enantiornithes (presumably referring to the anterior dorsals), Kurochkin (3 ) has claimed that the Enantiornithes could not have evolved heterocoelous vertebrae.1997 June 6, Jose L. Sanz et al., “A Nestling Bird from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain: Implications for Avian Skull and Neck Evolution”, in Science, volume 276, number 5318, →DOI, pages 1543–1546

   Synonyms:

   opisthocoelian