''Himalayasaurus'' is an extinct
genus of
ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaurs (Ancient Greek for "fish lizard" – and ) are large extinct marine reptiles. Ichthyosaurs belong to the order known as Ichthyosauria or Ichthyopterygia ('fish flippers' – a designation introduced by Sir Richard Owen in 1842, altho ...
from the
Late Triassic Qulonggongba Formation
The Qulonggongba Formation is a Late Triassic (Norian) geologic formation in Nyalam County, Tibet, near to the border with Nepal, that is part of the Langjiexue Group.M.-M. Chang and F. Jin. (1996). Mesozoic fish faunas of China. In G. Arriata & ...
of
Tibet. The
type species ''Himalayasaurus tibetensis'' was described in 1972 on the basis of fragmentary remains, including teeth, limb bones, and vertebrae.
[Z.-M. Dong. (1972). An ichthyosaur fossil from the Qomolangma Feng (Mt. Everest) region. ''Gu ji zhui dong wu yu gu ren lei yan jiu suo ji kan'' 9:7-10] The entire body length of ''Himalayasaurus'' is estimated to have been over in length.
''Himalayasaurus'' has since been considered a ''
nomen dubium
In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application.
Zoology
In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...
'' or "dubious name" because of the lack of features that set it apart from other ichthyosaurs,
although the presence of distinct cutting edges on its teeth have more recently been proposed as a unique feature of the genus (cutting edges have also been found in the recently described ichthyosaur ''
Thalattoarchon'' from the western United States).
''Himalayasaurus'' belongs to the family
Shastasauridae, which includes other large-bodied Triassic ichthyosaurs like ''
Shonisaurus
''Shonisaurus'' is a very large genus of ichthyosaur. At least 37 incomplete fossil specimens of the marine reptile have been found in the Luning Formation of Nevada, USA. This formation dates to the late Carnian age of the late Triassic period, ...
''.
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]
See also
* List of ichthyosaurs
This list of ichthyosaurs is a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the order Ichthyosauria or the parent clade Ichthyopterygia, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but a ...
* Timeline of ichthyosaur research
This timeline of ichthyosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the ichthyosauromorphs, a group of secondarily aquatic marine reptiles whose later members superficially resembled dolphins, shar ...
References
Late Triassic ichthyosaurs
Late Triassic reptiles of Asia
Ichthyosauromorph genera
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