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''Cryptoclidus'' ( ) is a genus of plesiosaur reptile from the Middle Jurassic Period (geology), period of England, France, and Cuba.
''Cryptoclidus'' was a plesiosaur whose specimens include adult and juvenile skeletons, and remains which have been found in various degrees of preservation in England, Northern France, Russia, and South America. Its name, meaning "hidden clavicles", refer to its small, practically invisible clavicles buried in its front limb girdle.
The type species was initially described as ''Plesiosaurus eurymerus''. The specific name "wide femur" refers to the forelimb, which was mistaken for a hindlimb at the time. It was moved to its own genus ''Cryptoclidus'' by Seeley (1892).
Fossils of ''Cryptoclidus'' have been found in the Oxford Clay of Cambridgeshire, England. The dubious species ''Cryptoclidus beaugrandi'' is known from Kimmeridgian-age deposits in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. ''Cryptoclidus vignalensis'', which is now considered undiagnostic, hails from the Jagua Formation of western Cuba.
In 2016, there was a report about a fragmentary ''Cryptoclidus'' postcranial skeleton from the Callovian deposits of Nikitino, Spassky District, Nikitino village in Spassky District, Ryazan Oblast, Russia, but later Zverkov et al. defined it as an intedermitate cryptoclidid.
''Cryptoclidus'' was a medium-sized plesiosaur, with the largest individuals measuring up to long and weighing about . The fragile build of the head and teeth preclude any grappling with prey, and suggest a diet of small, soft-bodied animals such as squid and shoaling fish. ''Cryptoclidus'' may have used its long, intermeshing teeth to strain small prey from the water, or perhaps sift through sediment for buried animals.
The size and shape of the nares and nasal openings have led Brown and Cruickshank (1994) to argue that they were used to sample seawater for smells and chemical traces.Brown and Cruickshank, 1994
The cladogram below follows the topology from Benson et al. (2012) analysis.
Paleos Vertebrates - Cryptocleidoidea
{{Taxonbar, from=Q131153 Cryptoclididae Callovian life Middle Jurassic plesiosaurs of Europe Jurassic England Fossils of England Oxford Clay Jurassic Cuba Fossils of Cuba Fossil taxa described in 1892 Taxa named by Harry Seeley Sauropterygian genera
Discovery
''Cryptoclidus'' was a plesiosaur whose specimens include adult and juvenile skeletons, and remains which have been found in various degrees of preservation in England, Northern France, Russia, and South America. Its name, meaning "hidden clavicles", refer to its small, practically invisible clavicles buried in its front limb girdle.
The type species was initially described as ''Plesiosaurus eurymerus''. The specific name "wide femur" refers to the forelimb, which was mistaken for a hindlimb at the time. It was moved to its own genus ''Cryptoclidus'' by Seeley (1892).
Fossils of ''Cryptoclidus'' have been found in the Oxford Clay of Cambridgeshire, England. The dubious species ''Cryptoclidus beaugrandi'' is known from Kimmeridgian-age deposits in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. ''Cryptoclidus vignalensis'', which is now considered undiagnostic, hails from the Jagua Formation of western Cuba.
In 2016, there was a report about a fragmentary ''Cryptoclidus'' postcranial skeleton from the Callovian deposits of Nikitino, Spassky District, Nikitino village in Spassky District, Ryazan Oblast, Russia, but later Zverkov et al. defined it as an intedermitate cryptoclidid.
Description
''Cryptoclidus'' was a medium-sized plesiosaur, with the largest individuals measuring up to long and weighing about . The fragile build of the head and teeth preclude any grappling with prey, and suggest a diet of small, soft-bodied animals such as squid and shoaling fish. ''Cryptoclidus'' may have used its long, intermeshing teeth to strain small prey from the water, or perhaps sift through sediment for buried animals.
The size and shape of the nares and nasal openings have led Brown and Cruickshank (1994) to argue that they were used to sample seawater for smells and chemical traces.Brown and Cruickshank, 1994
Classification
The cladogram below follows the topology from Benson et al. (2012) analysis.
See also
* List of plesiosaur genera * Timeline of plesiosaur researchReferences
Further reading
* Z. Gasparini and L. Spaletti. 1993. First Callovian plesiosaurs from the Neuquen Basin, Argentina. Ameghiniana 30(3):245-254External links
Paleos Vertebrates - Cryptocleidoidea
{{Taxonbar, from=Q131153 Cryptoclididae Callovian life Middle Jurassic plesiosaurs of Europe Jurassic England Fossils of England Oxford Clay Jurassic Cuba Fossils of Cuba Fossil taxa described in 1892 Taxa named by Harry Seeley Sauropterygian genera