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Ophthalmosauridae
Ophthalmosauridae is an extinct family of thunnosaur ichthyosaurs from the Middle Jurassic to the early Late Cretaceous (Bajocian - Cenomanian) worldwide. Almost all ichthyosaurs from the Middle Jurassic onwards belong to the family, until the extinction of ichthyosaurs in the early Late Cretaceous. Opthalmosaurids appeared worldwide during early Bajocian, subsequent to the disappearance of most other ichthyosaur lineages after the end of the Toarcian. Currently, the oldest known ophthalmosaurids is ''Mollesaurus'' from the early Bajocian of Argentina, as well as indeterminate remains of the same age from Luxembourg and Canada. Named by George H. Baur, in 1887, the family contains the basal taxa like ''Ophthalmosaurus''. Appleby (1956) named the taxon Ophthalmosauria which was followed by some authors, but these two names are often treated as synonyms; Ophthalmosauridae has the priority over Ophthalmosauria. However, some researchers argue that Ophthalmosauridae should be restricte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthropterygius
''Arthropterygius'' is a widespread genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur which existed in Canada, Norway, Russia, and Argentina from the late Jurassic period and possibly to the earliest Cretaceous. Description ''Arthropterygius'' appears to have been a relatively large ichthyosaur, with all species measuring between long. The partially preserved specimen PMO 222.655 has been estimated at based on comparisons to the contemporary ophthalmosaurid ''Undorosaurus''. This specimen was probably mature or close to maturity at time of death, judging by the convex head of the humerus and the smooth texture of the humeral shaft. Skull and axial skeleton The skull of ''Arthropterygius'' has become well known due to the discovery of a well preserved skull from Svalbard. It is unusual among ichthyosaurs in having a very short, yet also robust rostrum for its skull length. As a result, the orbit appears very large (about 0.34× the skull length). The skull bears a very large pineal foramen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ophthalmosaurus
''Ophthalmosaurus'' (meaning "eye lizard" in Greek) is an ichthyosaur of the Jurassic period (165–150 million years ago). Possible remains from the Cretaceous, around 145 million years ago, are also known. It was a relatively medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring long and weighing . Named for its extremely large eyes, it had a jaw containing many small but robust teeth. Major fossil finds of this genus have been recorded in Europe with a second species possibly being found in North America. Description ''Ophthalmosaurus'' was a medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring long and weighing . It had a robust, streamlined body that was nearly as wide as it was tall in frontal view. Like other derived ichthyosaurs ''Ophthalmosaurus'' had a powerful tail ending in a pronounced bi-lobed caudal fluke whose lower half was formed around the caudal spine whereas the upper lobe was made up entirely from soft tissue. The limbs of ''Ophthalmosaurus'' were short and rounded with the forelimbs be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ophthalmosaurus Icenicus Updated Reconstruction
''Ophthalmosaurus'' (meaning "eye lizard" in Greek) is an ichthyosaur of the Jurassic period (165–150 million years ago). Possible remains from the Cretaceous, around 145 million years ago, are also known. It was a relatively medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring long and weighing . Named for its extremely large eyes, it had a jaw containing many small but robust teeth. Major fossil finds of this genus have been recorded in Europe with a second species possibly being found in North America. Description ''Ophthalmosaurus'' was a medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring long and weighing . It had a robust, streamlined body that was nearly as wide as it was tall in frontal view. Like other derived ichthyosaurs ''Ophthalmosaurus'' had a powerful tail ending in a pronounced bi-lobed caudal fluke whose lower half was formed around the caudal spine whereas the upper lobe was made up entirely from soft tissue. The limbs of ''Ophthalmosaurus'' were short and rounded with the forelimbs bei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muiscasaurus
''Muiscasaurus'' is an extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid Ichthyosaur that lived in modern Colombia during the Early Cretaceous. The only known species is the type ''Muiscasaurus catheti''. Discovery The fossils of ''Muiscasaurus'' were found in the Paja Formation, whose sediments are exposed near the town of Villa de Leyva in Boyacá Department. These remains were found in 2010 in the middle of a limestone concretion, known as the Arcillolitas abigarradas Member, dating from the Barremian to Aptian epochs of the Lower Cretaceous. Although ammonites were found attached to the fossils, their poor preservation prevented identifying them and thereby establish the stratigraphy and precise age of the specimen. The fossil found, listed as the holotype specimen CIP-FCG-CBP-74, consists of a partial skull and some vertebrae with ribs that were found associated with the skull. These remains were designated in 2015 as the new genus and species ''Muiscasaurus catheti''; the genus name bei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keilhauia
''Keilhauia'' is a genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur, a type of dolphin-like, large-eyed marine reptile, from the Early Cretaceous shallow marine Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation in Svalbard, Norway. The genus contains a single species, ''K. nui'', known from a single specimen discovered in 2010 and described by Delsett ''et al.'' in 2017. In life, ''Keilhauia'' probably measured approximately in length; it can be distinguished by other ophthalmosaurids by the wide top end of its ilium and the relatively short ischiopubis (the fusion of the ischium and the pubis) compared to the femur. Although it was placed in a basal position within the Ophthalmosauridae by phylogenetic analysis, this placement is probably incorrect. Description Judging by the partially preserved holotype specimen, ''Keilhauia'' has been estimated at based on comparisons to the related ophthalmosaurid ''Cryopterygius''. This specimen was probably mature or close to maturity at tim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ophthalmosaurus Icenicus
''Ophthalmosaurus'' (meaning "eye lizard" in Greek) is an ichthyosaur of the Jurassic period (165–150 million years ago). Possible remains from the Cretaceous, around 145 million years ago, are also known. It was a relatively medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring long and weighing . Named for its extremely large eyes, it had a jaw containing many small but robust teeth. Major fossil finds of this genus have been recorded in Europe with a second species possibly being found in North America. Description ''Ophthalmosaurus'' was a medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring long and weighing . It had a robust, streamlined body that was nearly as wide as it was tall in frontal view. Like other derived ichthyosaurs ''Ophthalmosaurus'' had a powerful tail ending in a pronounced bi-lobed caudal fluke whose lower half was formed around the caudal spine whereas the upper lobe was made up entirely from soft tissue. The limbs of ''Ophthalmosaurus'' were short and rounded with the forelimbs bei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caypullisaurus
''Caypullisaurus'' is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous ( Tithonian and Berriasian stages) of Argentina. Its holotype was collected from the Vaca Muerta Formation of Cerro Lotena, Neuquen, dating to the early Tithonian stage of the Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. ''Caypullisaurus'' was first named by Marta Fernández in 1997 and the type species is ''Caypullisaurus bonapartei''. It was a large ichthyosaur, measuring about long. Classification It is a member of the family Ophthalmosauridae, and closely related to ''Platypterygius'' and '' Brachypterygius''.Fernández M. 2007. Redescription and phylogenetic position of ''Caypullisaurus'' (Ichthyosauria: Ophthalmosauridae). ''Journal of Paleontology'' 81 (2): 368-375. In 2012, ''Caypullisaurus'' was found to be most closely related to '' Athabascasaurus'' and "''Platypterygius''" ''australis'', and to nest within the subfamily Platypte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platypterygius
''Platypterygius'' is a historically paraphyletic genus of platypterygiine ichthyosaur from the Cretaceous period. It was historically used as a wastebasket taxon, and most species within ''Platypterygius'' likely are undiagnostic at the genus or species level, or represent distinct genera, even being argued as invalid. While fossils referred to ''Platypterygius'' have been found throughout different continents, the holotype specimen was found in Germany. Description As ''Platypterygius'' contains multiple species not especially close to each other, little can be said in terms of shared characteristics. According to an analysis by Fischer (2012), all anatomical features used to unify ''Platypterygius'' species are either not actually present in each species, or much more widespread among unrelated ophthalmosaurs. Generally, species referred to this genus were large bodied macropredators based on their robust dentition. This is also supported by ''P. australis'' having been f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brachypterygius
''Brachypterygius'' (meaning ″short wing/paddle″ in Greek) is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from the Late Jurassic of England.McGowan, C. & Motani, R. ''Ichthyopterygia''. In Sues, H.-D. (ed.) Handbook of Paleoherpetology, vol. 8. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munich, 175 pp., 19 pls. The type species was originally described and named as ''Ichthyosaurus extremus'' by Boulenger in 1904.Boulenger, G. A. 1904. Exhibition of, and remarks upon, a paddle of a new species of ichthyosaur. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'', 1904, 424–426. ''Brachypterygius'' was named by Huene in 1922 for the width and shortness of the forepaddle, and the type species is therefore ''Brachypterygius extremus''.Huene, F. F. von 1922. ''Die Ichthyosaurier des Lias und ihre Zusammenhänge''. Verlag von Gebrüder Borntraeger, Berlin, 114 pp., 22 pls. The holotype of ''B. extremus'' was originally thought to be from the Lias Group of Bath, Unite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brachypterygius Extremus
''Brachypterygius'' (meaning ″short wing/paddle″ in Greek) is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from the Late Jurassic of England.McGowan, C. & Motani, R. ''Ichthyopterygia''. In Sues, H.-D. (ed.) Handbook of Paleoherpetology, vol. 8. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munich, 175 pp., 19 pls. The type species was originally described and named as ''Ichthyosaurus extremus'' by Boulenger in 1904.Boulenger, G. A. 1904. Exhibition of, and remarks upon, a paddle of a new species of ichthyosaur. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'', 1904, 424–426. ''Brachypterygius'' was named by Huene in 1922 for the width and shortness of the forepaddle, and the type species is therefore ''Brachypterygius extremus''.Huene, F. F. von 1922. ''Die Ichthyosaurier des Lias und ihre Zusammenhänge''. Verlag von Gebrüder Borntraeger, Berlin, 114 pp., 22 pls. The holotype of ''B. extremus'' was originally thought to be from the Lias Group of Bath, Unite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thunnosauria
Thunnosauria (Greek for "tuna lizard" – ''thunnos'' meaning "tuna" and ''sauros'' meaning "lizard") is an extinct clade of parvipelvian ichthyosaurs from the Early Jurassic to the early Late Cretaceous ( Hettangian– Cenomanian) of Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Named by Ryosuke Motani in 1999, it contains the basal taxa ''Ichthyosaurus'' and '' Stenopterygius'' and the family Ophthalmosauridae. In thunnosaurs, the fore fin is at least twice as long as the hind fin. Phylogeny Thunnosauria is a node-based taxon defined in 1999 as "the last common ancestor of '' Ichthyosaurus communis'' and ''Stenopterygius quadriscissus'' and all of its descendants". The cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ... below follows the topology fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Athabascasaurus
''Athabascasaurus'' is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from Alberta, Canada. Discovery and etymology ''Athabascasaurus'' is known from the holotype TMP 2000.29.01, articulated nearly complete postcranial skeleton and nearly complete skull preserved in dorsal view, missing the premaxilla. It was collected in 2000 on the western side of the Syncrude Canada Ltd.'s Base Mine, an open-pit mine near Fort McMurray. The specimen was found in the Wabiskaw Member of the Clearwater Formation, which dates to the earliest Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous epoch, about 112 million years ago. The specimen resides at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. ''Athabascasaurus'' was first named by Patrick S. Druckenmiller and Erin E. Maxwell in 2010 and the type species is ''Athabascasaurus bitumineus''. The generic name is derived from the name of the Athabasca River, which runs through Athabasca oil sands area where the holotype was co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
