A New Plesiosaur from the Lower Jurassic of Portugal and the Early Radiation of Plesiosauroidea
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Cranial Anatomy, Taxonomic Implications
[Palaeontology, Vol. 55, Part 4, 2012, pp. 743–773] CRANIAL ANATOMY, TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS AND PALAEOPATHOLOGY OF AN UPPER JURASSIC PLIOSAUR (REPTILIA: SAUROPTERYGIA) FROM WESTBURY, WILTSHIRE, UK by JUDYTH SASSOON1, LESLIE F. NOE` 2 and MICHAEL J. BENTON1* 1School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK; e-mails: [email protected], [email protected] 2Geociencias, departamento de Fisica, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota´ DC, Colombia; e-mail: [email protected] *Corresponding author. Typescript received 5 December 2010; accepted in revised form 6 April 2011 Abstract: Complete skulls of giant marine reptiles of the genera. The two Westbury Pliosaurus specimens share many Late Jurassic are rare, and so the discovery of the 1.8-m- features, including the form of the teeth, but marked differ- long skull of a pliosaur from the Kimmeridge Clay Forma- ences in the snout and parietal crest suggest sexual dimor- tion (Kimmeridgian) of Westbury, Wiltshire, UK, is an phism; the present specimen is probably female. The large important find. The specimen shows most of the cranial size of the animal, the extent of sutural fusion and the and mandibular anatomy, as well as a series of pathological pathologies suggest this is an ageing individual. An erosive conditions. It was previously referred to Pliosaurus brachy- arthrotic condition of the articular glenoids led to pro- spondylus, but it can be referred reliably only to the genus longed jaw misalignment, generating a suite of associated Pliosaurus, because species within the genus are currently in bone and dental pathologies. -
Foramina in Plesiosaur Cervical Centra Indicate a Specialized Vascular System
Foss. Rec., 20, 279–290, 2017 https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-20-279-2017 © Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Foramina in plesiosaur cervical centra indicate a specialized vascular system Tanja Wintrich1, Martin Scaal2, and P. Martin Sander1 1Bereich Paläontologie, Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany 2Institut für Anatomie II, Universität zu Köln, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, 50937 Cologne, Germany Correspondence: Tanja Wintrich ([email protected]) Received: 16 August 2017 – Revised: 13 November 2017 – Accepted: 14 November 2017 – Published: 19 December 2017 Abstract. The sauropterygian clade Plesiosauria arose in the 1 Introduction Late Triassic and survived to the very end of the Cretaceous. A long, flexible neck with over 35 cervicals (the highest 1.1 Sauropterygian evolution and plesiosaur origins number of cervicals in any tetrapod clade) is a synapomor- phy of Pistosauroidea, the clade that contains Plesiosauria. Plesiosauria are Mesozoic marine reptiles that had a global Basal plesiosaurians retain this very long neck but greatly distribution almost from their origin in the Late Triassic reduce neck flexibility. In addition, plesiosaurian cervicals (Benson et al., 2012) to their extinction at the end of the have large, paired, and highly symmetrical foramina on the Cretaceous (Ketchum and Benson, 2010; Fischer et al., ventral side of the centrum, traditionally termed “subcentral 2017). Plesiosauria belong to the clade Sauropterygia and foramina”, and on the floor of the neural canal. We found are its most derived and only post-Triassic representatives, that these dorsal and the ventral foramina are connected by being among the most taxonomically diverse of all Meso- a canal that extends across the center of ossification of the zoic marine reptiles (Motani, 2009). -
First Occurrence of a Gigantic Pliosaurid Plesiosaur in The
Bull. Soc. géol. Fr., 2003, t. 174, no 3, pp. 271-278 First occurrence of a gigantic pliosaurid plesiosaur in the late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of Mexico MARIE-CÉLINE BUCHY1,EBERHARD FREY2,WOLFGANG STINNESBECK1 &JOSÉ GUADALUPE LÓPEZ-OLIVA3 Key words. – Kimmeridgian, Pliosauridae, Mexico, Palaeobiogeography. Abstract. – Reinvestigation of a partial vertebral column from the Kimmeridgian La Caja Formation of Mexico, housed in the University of Linares (Mexico), and previously attributed to a dinosaur, proves to be from a very large pliosaurid plesiosaur. This specimen represents the first plesiosaur described from the Jurassic of Mexico. Its length has been esti- mated at 15 metres and, as a juvenile, is considered to be one of the largest Jurassic marine reptiles. The remains of this animal are here described. The morphology of the vertebral column is not diagnostic beyond family level. Large pliosaur vertebrae of a similar size are known from the Upper Jurassic of Europe, and are often referred to the genera Liopleurodon or Simolestes but these identifications are based only upon the size of the centra and have no taxonomic justification. A portion of rostrum with teeth was discovered together with the vertebral column but is unfortunately now lost. The Mexican pliosaur fills geographical and chronological gaps between western Tethys and South American pliosaurs, and is an additional support to the hypothesis of a Hispanic corridor linking at least temporarily the NW Euro- pean marine province with the western South American marine (Pacific) realm during the late Jurassic. Première occurrence d’un plésiosaure pliosauride géant dans le Jurassique supérieur (Kimméridgien) du Mexique Mots clés. -
O'keefe, F. R. 2006
12 Neoteny and the Plesiomorphic Condition of the Plesiosaur Basicranium F. Robin O’Keefe Introduction Historically, the systematics of the Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauroptery- gia) were based largely on postcranial characters (Persson, 1963; Brown, 1981). Several factors account for this bias: plesiosaur skulls tend to be del- icate and are often crushed even when preserved, postcranial elements are relatively common and cranial elements are not, lack of knowledge about the relationships of stem-group sauropterygians, and lack of knowledge of plesiosaur cranial anatomy itself. However, recent detailed examinations of plesiosaur cranial anatomy have identified many characters of use in plesiosaur systematics (Brown, 1993; Cruickshank, 1994; Storrs & Taylor, 1996; Storrs, 1997; Carpenter, 1997; Evans, 1999; O’Keefe, 2001, 2004), and the systematics of the group have changed markedly in response (Carpenter, 1997; O’Keefe, 2001, 2004). The work of Rieppel and others has clarified the anatomy and relationships of stem-group sauropterygians (Storrs, 1991; see Rieppel, 2000, for review). This work has laid the anatomic and phylogenetic foundations for a better understanding of ple- siosaur cranial anatomy. The purpose of this paper is to describe the condition of the braincase in stratigraphically early and morphologically primitive plesiosaurs. In- formation on the braincase of plesiomorphic taxa is important because it establishes the polarity of characters occurring in more derived ple- siosaurs. This paper begins with a short review of braincase anatomy in stem-group sauropterygians. Data on braincase morphology of the ple- siomorphic plesiosaur genera Thalassiodracon and Eurycleidus are then presented and interpreted via comparison with other plesiosaurs, stem- group sauropterygians, and stem diapsids (Araeoscelis). -
A New Species of the Sauropsid Reptile Nothosaurus from the Lower Muschelkalk of the Western Germanic Basin, Winterswijk, the Netherlands
A new species of the sauropsid reptile Nothosaurus from the Lower Muschelkalk of the western Germanic Basin, Winterswijk, The Netherlands NICOLE KLEIN and PAUL C.H. ALBERS Klein, N. and Albers, P.C.H. 2009. A new species of the sauropsid reptile Nothosaurus from the Lower Muschelkalk of the western Germanic Basin, Winterswijk, The Netherlands. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 54 (4): 589–598. doi:10.4202/ app.2008.0083 A nothosaur skull recently discovered from the Lower Muschelkalk (early Anisian) locality of Winterswijk, The Nether− lands, represents at only 46 mm in length the smallest nothosaur skull known today. It resembles largely the skull mor− phology of Nothosaurus marchicus. Differences concern beside the size, the straight rectangular and relative broad parietals, the short posterior extent of the maxilla, the skull proportions, and the overall low number of maxillary teeth. In spite of its small size, the skull can not unequivocally be interpreted as juvenile. It shows fused premaxillae, nasals, frontals, and parietals, a nearly co−ossified jugal, and fully developed braincase elements, such as a basisphenoid and mas− sive epipterygoids. Adding the specimen to an existing phylogenetic analysis shows that it should be assigned to a new species, Nothosaurus winkelhorsti sp. nov., at least until its juvenile status can be unequivocally verified. Nothosaurus winkelhorsti sp. nov. represents, together with Nothosaurus juvenilis, the most basal nothosaur, so far. Key words: Sauropterygia, Nothosaurus, ontogeny, Anisian, The Netherlands. Nicole Klein [nklein@uni−bonn.de], Steinmann−Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Universtät Bonn, Nußallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany; Paul C.H. Albers [[email protected]], Naturalis, Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR Leiden, The Netherlands. -
Cryptoclidid Plesiosaurs (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Upper Jurassic of the Atacama Desert
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujvp20 Cryptoclidid plesiosaurs (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Upper Jurassic of the Atacama Desert Rodrigo A. Otero , Jhonatan Alarcón-Muñoz , Sergio Soto-Acuña , Jennyfer Rojas , Osvaldo Rojas & Héctor Ortíz To cite this article: Rodrigo A. Otero , Jhonatan Alarcón-Muñoz , Sergio Soto-Acuña , Jennyfer Rojas , Osvaldo Rojas & Héctor Ortíz (2020): Cryptoclidid plesiosaurs (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Upper Jurassic of the Atacama Desert, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2020.1764573 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2020.1764573 View supplementary material Published online: 17 Jul 2020. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 153 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ujvp20 Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e1764573 (14 pages) © by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2020.1764573 ARTICLE CRYPTOCLIDID PLESIOSAURS (SAUROPTERYGIA, PLESIOSAURIA) FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC OF THE ATACAMA DESERT RODRIGO A. OTERO,*,1,2,3 JHONATAN ALARCÓN-MUÑOZ,1 SERGIO SOTO-ACUÑA,1 JENNYFER ROJAS,3 OSVALDO ROJAS,3 and HÉCTOR ORTÍZ4 1Red Paleontológica Universidad de Chile, Laboratorio de Ontogenia y Filogenia, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile, [email protected]; 2Consultora Paleosuchus Ltda., Huelén 165, Oficina C, Providencia, Santiago, Chile; 3Museo de Historia Natural y Cultural del Desierto de Atacama. Interior Parque El Loa s/n, Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile; 4Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Barrio Universitario, Concepción, Región del Bío Bío, Chile ABSTRACT—This study presents the first plesiosaurs recovered from the Jurassic of the Atacama Desert that are informative at the genus level. -
Estimating the Evolutionary Rates in Mosasauroids and Plesiosaurs: Discussion of Niche Occupation in Late Cretaceous Seas
Estimating the evolutionary rates in mosasauroids and plesiosaurs: discussion of niche occupation in Late Cretaceous seas Daniel Madzia1 and Andrea Cau2 1 Department of Evolutionary Paleobiology, Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland 2 Independent, Parma, Italy ABSTRACT Observations of temporal overlap of niche occupation among Late Cretaceous marine amniotes suggest that the rise and diversification of mosasauroid squamates might have been influenced by competition with or disappearance of some plesiosaur taxa. We discuss that hypothesis through comparisons of the rates of morphological evolution of mosasauroids throughout their evolutionary history with those inferred for contemporary plesiosaur clades. We used expanded versions of two species- level phylogenetic datasets of both these groups, updated them with stratigraphic information, and analyzed using the Bayesian inference to estimate the rates of divergence for each clade. The oscillations in evolutionary rates of the mosasauroid and plesiosaur lineages that overlapped in time and space were then used as a baseline for discussion and comparisons of traits that can affect the shape of the niche structures of aquatic amniotes, such as tooth morphologies, body size, swimming abilities, metabolism, and reproduction. Only two groups of plesiosaurs are considered to be possible niche competitors of mosasauroids: the brachauchenine pliosaurids and the polycotylid leptocleidians. However, direct evidence for interactions between mosasauroids and plesiosaurs is scarce and limited only to large mosasauroids as the Submitted 31 July 2019 predators/scavengers and polycotylids as their prey. The first mosasauroids differed Accepted 18 March 2020 from contemporary plesiosaurs in certain aspects of all discussed traits and no evidence Published 13 April 2020 suggests that early representatives of Mosasauroidea diversified after competitions with Corresponding author plesiosaurs. -
Description of an Unusual Cervical Vertebral Column of a Plesiosaur from the Kiowa Shale Ian N
Fort Hays State University FHSU Scholars Repository Master's Theses Graduate School Spring 2014 Description of an Unusual Cervical Vertebral Column of a Plesiosaur from the Kiowa Shale Ian N. Cost Fort Hays State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses Part of the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Cost, Ian N., "Description of an Unusual Cervical Vertebral Column of a Plesiosaur from the Kiowa Shale" (2014). Master's Theses. 57. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses/57 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at FHSU Scholars Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of FHSU Scholars Repository. DESCRIPTION OF AN UNUSUAL CERVICAL VERTEBRAL COLUMN OF A PLESIOSAUR FROM THE KIOWA SHALE being A Thesis Presented to the Graduate Faculty of the Fort Hays State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Ian Cost B.A., Bridgewater State University M.Ed., Lesley University Date_____________________ Approved________________________________ Major Professor Approved________________________________ Chair, Graduate Council This Thesis for The Master of Science Degree By Ian Cost Has Been Approved __________________________________ Chair, Supervisory Committee __________________________________ Supervisory Committee __________________________________ Supervisory Committee __________________________________ Supervisory Committee __________________________________ Supervisory Committee __________________________________ Chair, Department of Biological Science i PREFACE This manuscript has been formatted in the style of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Keywords: plesiosaur, polycotylid, cervical vertebrae, Dolichorhynchops, Trinacromerum ii ABSTRACT The Early Cretaceous (Albian) Kiowa Shale of Clark County, Kansas consists mainly of dark gray shale with occasional limestone deposits that represent a near shore environment. -
A Revision of the Classification of the Plesiosauria with a Synopsis of the Stratigraphical and Geographical Distribution Of
LUNDS UNIVERSITETS ARSSKRIFT. N. F. Avd. 2. Bd 59. Nr l. KUNGL. FYSIOGRAFISKA SÅLLSKAPETS HANDLINGAR, N. F. Bd 74. Nr 1. A REVISION OF THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE PLESIOSAURIA WITH A SYNOPSIS OF THE STRATIGRAPHICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE GROUP BY PER OVE PERSSON LUND C. W. K. GLEER UP Read before the Royal Physiographic Society, February 13, 1963. LUND HÅKAN OHLSSONS BOKTRYCKERI l 9 6 3 l. Introduction The sub-order Plesiosauria is one of the best known of the Mesozoic Reptile groups, but, as emphasized by KuHN (1961, p. 75) and other authors, its classification is still not satisfactory, and needs a thorough revision. The present paper is an attempt at such a revision, and includes also a tabular synopsis of the stratigraphical and geo graphical distribution of the group. Some of the species are discussed in the text (pp. 17-22). The synopsis is completed with seven maps (figs. 2-8, pp. 10-16), a selective synonym list (pp. 41-42), and a list of rejected species (pp. 42-43). Some forms which have been erroneously referred to the Plesiosauria are also briefly mentioned ("Non-Plesiosaurians", p. 43). - The numerals in braekets after the generic and specific names in the text refer to the tabular synopsis, in which the different forms are numbered in successional order. The author has exaroined all material available from Sweden, Australia and Spitzbergen (PERSSON 1954, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1962a); the major part of the material from the British Isles, France, Belgium and Luxembourg; some of the German spec imens; certain specimens from New Zealand, now in the British Museum (see LYDEK KER 1889, pp. -
(Diapsida: Saurosphargidae), with Implications for the Morphological Diversity and Phylogeny of the Group
Geol. Mag.: page 1 of 21. c Cambridge University Press 2013 1 doi:10.1017/S001675681300023X A new species of Largocephalosaurus (Diapsida: Saurosphargidae), with implications for the morphological diversity and phylogeny of the group ∗ CHUN LI †, DA-YONG JIANG‡, LONG CHENG§, XIAO-CHUN WU†¶ & OLIVIER RIEPPEL ∗ Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 643, Beijing 100044, China ‡Department of Geology and Geological Museum, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China §Wuhan Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Wuhan, 430223, PR China ¶Canadian Museum of Nature, PO Box 3443, STN ‘D’, Ottawa, ON K1P 6P4, Canada Department of Geology, The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605-2496, USA (Received 31 July 2012; accepted 25 February 2013) Abstract – Largocephalosaurus polycarpon Cheng et al. 2012a was erected after the study of the skull and some parts of a skeleton and considered to be an eosauropterygian. Here we describe a new species of the genus, Largocephalosaurus qianensis, based on three specimens. The new species provides many anatomical details which were described only briefly or not at all in the type species, and clearly indicates that Largocephalosaurus is a saurosphargid. It differs from the type species mainly in having three premaxillary teeth, a very short retroarticular process, a large pineal foramen, two sacral vertebrae, and elongated small granular osteoderms mixed with some large ones along the lateral most side of the body. With additional information from the new species, we revise the diagnosis and the phylogenetic relationships of Largocephalosaurus and clarify a set of diagnostic features for the Saurosphargidae Li et al. -
On the Cranial Anatomy of the Polycotylid Plesiosaurs, Including New Material of Polycotylus Latipinnis, Cope, from Alabama F
Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar Biological Sciences Faculty Research Biological Sciences 2004 On the cranial anatomy of the polycotylid plesiosaurs, including new material of Polycotylus latipinnis, Cope, from Alabama F. Robin O’Keefe Marshall University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/bio_sciences_faculty Part of the Animal Sciences Commons, and the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons Recommended Citation O’Keefe, F. R. 2004. On the cranial anatomy of the polycotylid plesiosaurs, including new material of Polycotylus latipinnis, Cope, from Alabama. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24(2):326–340. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Biological Sciences at Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biological Sciences Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. ON THE CRANIAL ANATOMY OF THE POLYCOTYLID PLESIOSAURS, INCLUDING NEW MATERIAL OF POLYCOTYLUS LATIPINNIS, COPE, FROM ALABAMA F. ROBIN O’KEEFE Department of Anatomy, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York 11568, U.S.A., [email protected] ABSTRACT—The cranial anatomy of plesiosaurs in the family Polycotylidae (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) has received renewed attention recently because various skull characters are thought to indicate plesiosauroid, rather than plio- sauroid, affinities for this family. New data on the cranial anatomy of polycotylid plesiosaurs is presented, and is shown to compare closely to the structure of cryptocleidoid plesiosaurs. The morphology of known polycotylid taxa is reported and discussed, and a preliminary phylogenetic analysis is used to establish ingroup relationships of the Cryptocleidoidea. -
Mesozoic Marine Reptile Palaeobiogeography in Response to Drifting Plates
ÔØ ÅÒÙ×Ö ÔØ Mesozoic marine reptile palaeobiogeography in response to drifting plates N. Bardet, J. Falconnet, V. Fischer, A. Houssaye, S. Jouve, X. Pereda Suberbiola, A. P´erez-Garc´ıa, J.-C. Rage, P. Vincent PII: S1342-937X(14)00183-X DOI: doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2014.05.005 Reference: GR 1267 To appear in: Gondwana Research Received date: 19 November 2013 Revised date: 6 May 2014 Accepted date: 14 May 2014 Please cite this article as: Bardet, N., Falconnet, J., Fischer, V., Houssaye, A., Jouve, S., Pereda Suberbiola, X., P´erez-Garc´ıa, A., Rage, J.-C., Vincent, P., Mesozoic marine reptile palaeobiogeography in response to drifting plates, Gondwana Research (2014), doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2014.05.005 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Mesozoic marine reptile palaeobiogeography in response to drifting plates To Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) Bardet N.a*, Falconnet J. a, Fischer V.b, Houssaye A.c, Jouve S.d, Pereda Suberbiola X.e, Pérez-García A.f, Rage J.-C.a and Vincent P.a,g a Sorbonne Universités CR2P, CNRS-MNHN-UPMC, Département Histoire de la Terre, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CP 38, 57 rue Cuvier,