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 being a reference to the Muisca of central Colombia, with the Latinized Greek word ''saurus'', "reptile". The species name, ''catheti'', means perpendicular and refers to the shape of the nostrils. The remains were prepared for the Centro de Investigaciones Paleontológicas (''Paleontological Research Center'') in Villa de Leyva.

Description

The ''Muiscasaurus'' fossils corresponds to a juvenile individual, given the incomplete ossification of the vertebrae and the proportions of the skull. This lacks the front of the snout, as well as in the back of the skull, showing some crushing to the right side. The jaw elements are very thin and long, with some teeth preserved, which are relatively small. ''Muiscasaurus'' was a relatively large animal: the preserved skull length is , and, depending on its exact proportions, could be between total cranial length. This individual could reach long and up to long in adults. Like all advanced ichthyosaurs, ''Muiscasaurus'' must had a compact and streamlined body, with a tail shaped like a half moon and all four legs transformed into flippers.

''Muiscasaurus'' differs from its closest relatives by a combination of features: it had a very thin premaxilla, the nasal aperture is partially divided in two ovals for a spur-shaped nasal process, with the frontal portion in vertical position and the rear one horizontal; in other ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs, the aperture was fully open or fully separated into two. The posterior region was narrow and provided with a thin quadratojugal, the teeth were very thin and lacking of the thick enamel and the coarse striations, whereas in similar ichthyosaurs as ''Pervushovisaurus'' and ''Platypterygius'' had more robust teeth and grooves in the enamel.

Phylogeny

''Muiscasaurus'' was described based on fossils that were classified as belonging to the Ophthalmosauridae family, which includes most of the ichthyosaurs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. ''Muiscasaurus'' seems particularly occupied a very basal position within the family, with respect to the subgroup composed by ''Platypterygius'', '' Caypullisaurus'' and ''Brachypterygius'' (although the latter two genera were slightly older than ''Muiscasaurus'' itself) .

Cladogram based in the phylogenetic analysis of Maxwell ''et al''., 2015:

The following cladogram shows a possible phylogenetic position of ''Muiscasaurus'' in Ophthalmosauridae according to the analysis performed by Zverkov and Jacobs (2020).

Paleobiology

In addition to ''Muiscasaurus'', in the Paja Formation has been recovered other kind of ichthyosaur, ''Kyhytysuka sachicarum''; it is distinguished of ''Muiscasaurus'' for their teeth and cranial features, including thicker, robust teeth with grooved tooth enamel. The analysis could indicate that while ''P. sachicarum'' probably had a generalist diet, ''Muiscasaurus'' was a much more specialized form, feeding on smaller and softer prey items. This would show that during the Cretaceous period in the neotropics, ichthyosaurs kept some ecological diversity.

See also

* List of flora and fauna named after the Muisca

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21150601

Ichthyosauromorph genera
Cretaceous ichthyosaurs
Early Cretaceous reptiles of South America
Fossils of Colombia
Cretaceous Colombia
Altiplano Cundiboyacense
Fossil taxa described in 2015
Muysccubun
Paja Formation