Polycotylidae

Polycotylids; Temporal range: Early - Late Cretaceous, 103–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Dolichorhynchops bonneri in the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	†Sauropterygia
Order:	†Plesiosauria
Clade:	†Leptocleidia
Family:	†Polycotylidae; Williston, 1909
Genera
	†Dolichorhynchops; ; †Edgarosaurus; ; †Eopolycotylus; ; †Georgiasaurus; ; †Manemergus; ; †Mauriciosaurus; ; †Pahasapasaurus; ; †Palmulasaurus; ; †Plesiopleurodon; ; †Polycotylus; ; †Rarosaurus; ; †Sulcusuchus; ; †Thililua?; ; †Trinacromerum; ; †Umoonasaurus?; ;

Polycotylidae is a family of plesiosaurs from the Cretaceous, a sister group to Leptocleididae.

With their short necks and large elongated heads, they resemble the pliosaurs, but closer phylogenetic studies indicate that they share many common features with the Plesiosauridae and Elasmosauridae. They have been found worldwide, with specimens reported from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Morocco, the US, Canada, Eastern Europe, and South America.^[1]

Phylogeny

Cladogram after Albright, Gillette and Titus (2007).^[2]

Polycotylidae

Palmulainae

	UMUT MV 19965 (from Japan)

	Pahasapasaurus (=AMM 98.1.1)^[3]

	Palmulasaurus

Polycotylinae

Dolichorhynchops

Trinacromerum

	Eopolycotylus

	Polycotylus

Cladogram after Ketchum and Benson (2010).^[4]

Leptocleidia

Polycotylidae

QM F18041

Dolichorhynchops herschelensis

	Dolichorhynchops

	Manemergus

	Palmulasaurus

Below is a cladogram of polycotylid relationships from Ketchum & Benson, 2011.^[5]

Leptocleidia

Polycotylidae

	Plesiopleurodon

	QM F18041

	Eopolycotylus

	Polycotylus

	Thililua

Trinacromerum

Manemergus

Dolichorhynchops herschelensis

	Dolichorhynchops

	Palmulasaurus

External links

Palæos: The Vertebrates, Lepidosauromorpha: Cryptocleidoidea: Tricleidia

References

^ Druckenmiller, Patrick S.; Russell, Anthony P. (2009). "Earliest North American Occurrence Of Polycotylidae (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria) From The Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Clearwater Formation, Alberta, Canada" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology. 83 (6): 361–392. doi:10.1666/09-014.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
^ Albright III, L. B., Gillette, D. D., and Titus, A. L., 2007b. Plesiosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) Tropic Shale of southern Utah, part 2: polycotylidae Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, v. 27, n. 1, p. 41-58.
^ Schumacher, B. A., 2007, A new polycotylid plesiosaur (Reptilia; Sauropterygia) from the Greenhorn Limestone (Upper Cretaceous; lower upper Cenomanian), Black Hills, South Dakota: In: The Geology and Paleontology of the Late Cretaceous marine deposits of the Dakotas, edited by Martin, J. E., and Parris, D. C., The Geological Society of America, Special Paper 427, p. 133-146.
^ Ketchum, H. F.; Benson, R. B. J. (2010). "Global interrelationships of Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses". Biological Reviews. 85: 361–392. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00107.x. PMID 20002391. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
^ "A new pliosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of England: evidence for a gracile, longirostrine grade of Early-Middle Jurassic pliosaurids". Special Papers in Palaeontology. 86: 109–129. 2011. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01083.x. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)

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[DruckenmillerRussell09-1] Druckenmiller, Patrick S.; Russell, Anthony P. (2009). "Earliest North American Occurrence Of Polycotylidae (Sauropterygia: Plesiosauria) From The Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Clearwater Formation, Alberta, Canada" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology. 83 (6): 361–392. doi:10.1666/09-014.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)

[Albright,_2007-2] Albright III, L. B., Gillette, D. D., and Titus, A. L., 2007b. Plesiosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) Tropic Shale of southern Utah, part 2: polycotylidae Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, v. 27, n. 1, p. 41-58.

[Schumacher,_2007-3] Schumacher, B. A., 2007, A new polycotylid plesiosaur (Reptilia; Sauropterygia) from the Greenhorn Limestone (Upper Cretaceous; lower upper Cenomanian), Black Hills, South Dakota: In: The Geology and Paleontology of the Late Cretaceous marine deposits of the Dakotas, edited by Martin, J. E., and Parris, D. C., The Geological Society of America, Special Paper 427, p. 133-146.

[Ketchum2010-4] Ketchum, H. F.; Benson, R. B. J. (2010). "Global interrelationships of Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses". Biological Reviews. 85: 361–392. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00107.x. PMID 20002391. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)

[Marmornectes-5] "A new pliosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of England: evidence for a gracile, longirostrine grade of Early-Middle Jurassic pliosaurids". Special Papers in Palaeontology. 86: 109–129. 2011. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01083.x. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)

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