Microcleidus
| Microcleidus Temporal range: Early Jurassic
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| Fossil M. homalospondylus | |
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Microcleidus
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Occitanosaurus tournemirensis Plesiosaurus tournemirensis |
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Microcleidus is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile belonging to the plesiosauroidea suborder. It was about the size of a medium sized dolphin, reaching a length of 3 metres (9.8 ft).[citation needed] The species has 40 neck vertebrae and a short tail of 28 vertebrae.
Contents
Classification
Species include: Microcleidus homalospondylus (Owen 1865) and Microcleidus macropterus (Seeley 1865).
Occitanosaurus tournemirensis (originally "Plesiosaurus" tournemirensis), was named by Sciau et al. in 1990, based on a nearly complete skeleton of an animal approximately 4 meters (13 ft) long.[1] It was later found to be a species of Microcleidus.
The following cladogram follows an analysis by Ketchum & Benson, 2011.[2]
See also
References
Sources
- Bardet, Nathalie; Fernandez, Marta; Garcia-Ramos, Jose Carlos; Superbiola, Xabier Pereda; Pinuela, Laura; Ruiz-Omenaca, Jose Ignacio; and Vincent, Peggy (2008). "A juvenile plesiosaur from the Pliensbackian (Lower Jurassic) of Asturias, Spain". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28(1): 258–263.
- [1] Plesiosaur.com 13 Oct 2006
- [2] Palæos.com 13 Oct 2006.
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