巴克蘭沒有給出斑龍的種名,這在19世紀早期並不少見,當時仍視屬為更重要的概念。1826年,費迪南德·馮·里特根(英語:Ferdinand August Maria Franz von Ritgen)給這隻恐龍起了一個完整的種名,即科氏斑龍(Megalosaurus conybeari),[19]然而後期研究者並未過多使用此名,故其現被視為遺失名。一年後(即1827年),吉迪恩·曼特爾將斑龍納入他對英國東南部的地質調查中,並為之取了現在的有效種名――巴氏斑龍(Megalosaurus bucklandii)。[20]直到現在,Megalosaurus bucklandi這一形式仍經常被使用,它是克里斯蒂安·埃里希·赫爾曼·馮·邁爾(英語:Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer)1832年的一個筆誤,其創造者有時被誤認為馮·里根,但更具原創性的M. bucklandii具有優先權。[21]
1840年左右,英國流行將物種變遷論(英語:Transmutation of species)的概念作為屬隨着時間推移而逐漸發展的一部分,正如羅伯特·錢伯斯的作品所表達的那樣。作為回應,理查德·歐文於1841年8月2日在英國科學促進協會的一次演講中稱,某些史前爬行動物類群的組織行為已達到現代哺乳動物的水平,表明物種不會發生變化。歐文介紹了三個這種高水平爬行動物的例子:禽龍、林龍和斑龍。「蜥蜴模型」從此被完全廢棄,恐龍也被認為擁有直立姿態和高速新陳代謝。這也意味着先前的尺寸估算值被誇大了。歐文通過簡單地增加已知椎骨長度(而非根據蜥蜴推測)而得出斑龍的總身長為30英尺。1842年出版的講座印刷版中,歐文將這三種爬行動物歸入一個單獨的分類群:恐龍總目。因此斑龍是最早被歸入恐龍的三個屬之一。[23]
大多數文獻一般按照歐文1841年估計而給出三十英尺或九米的體長。[37]由於斑龍化石缺乏連接的背椎序列,因此很難確定其真實體型。1984年,大衛·諾曼(英語:David B. Norman)提出斑龍身長為7到8米。[38]1988年,格雷戈里·保羅(英語:Gregory S. Paul)根據股骨長76厘米將其體重暫時估計為1.1噸。[39]21世紀早期的趨勢是,將材料限制在選模標本的範圍內、產生更低的估計值並忽略不確定的異常值。保羅於2010年提出斑龍長6米、重700公斤。[40]然而,本森在同年聲稱,儘管斑龍體型中等,但仍是中侏羅世的最大獸腳類之一。標本BMNH 31806是一根803毫米長的股骨,使用J·F·安德森(J. F. Anderson)的外推法可算出這條斑龍體重為943公斤——該方法是為哺乳動物所優化的,往往低估獸腳類至少三分之一的體重。此外,股骨OUM J13561長約86厘米。[29]
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