Microcleidus
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Microcleidus is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile belonging to the Plesiosauroidea. The species has 40 neck vertebrae and a short tail of 28 vertebrae. Fossils of the genus have been found in France, the Posidonia Shale in Germany and Luxembourg, and the Alum Shale Formation of England.
Description
The type species, M. homalospondylus, was the largest, measuring 5.1m (17ft) long and weighing 650kg (1,430lb). Other species were smaller: M. tournemirensis was about 4m (13ft) long and weighed 300kg (660lb), and M. melusinae was about 3m (9.8ft) long and weighed 120kg (260lb).
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 4meters (13ft) long. It was later found to be a species of Microcleidus.
The following cladogram follows an analysis by Ketchum & Benson, 2011.
See also
External links
- at Sachs Vertebrate Palaeontology Research
Bibliography
- Bardet, Nathalie; Fernandez, Marta; Garcia-Ramos, Jose Carlos; Superbiola, Xabier Pereda; Pinuela, Laura; Ruiz-Omenaca, Jose Ignacio; and Vincent, Peggy (2008). "". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28(1): 258–263
- Plesiosaur.com 13 Oct 2006
- [permanent dead link] Palæos.com 13 Oct 2006