Species: mephistocephalus (GODEFROIT, PEREDA-SUBERBIOLA, LI & DONG, 1999) PENKALSKI, 2026
Etymology: Mephisto, abridged name for Mephistopheles, the name in Faust’s
legend of the devil who made a pact with him; Greek, kephale, “head”.
The head of the holotype of Pinacosaurus mephistocehpalus is reminiscent of a devil’s
head.
= DONG, 1992
= Pinacosaurus mephistocephalus GODEFROIT, PEREDA-SUBERBIOLA, LI & DONG, 1999
Holotype: IMM 96BM3/1
Locality: Quarry SBDE 96BM3, 41°47.269’N, 106°43.573’E, 1239 m alt., Bayan Mandahu, Urad Houqi Banner, Bayan Nor League, Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongolia), China.
Horizon: Bayan Mandahu Formation, correlative to Djadochta Formation.
Biostratigraphy:
Age: Middle Campanian Stage, Senonian Subepoch, Gulf Epoch, Late Cretaceous.
Material: Skull, dentary and nearly complete articulated skeleton, with cervical dermal armor and tail club in place, the left arm and a great portion of the left part of the pelvic girdle and hindlimb are missing.

Top, dorsal and bottom ventral view of tail club (modified from GODEFROIT, PEREDA-SUBERBIOLA, LI & DONG, 1999).