Cryptoclididae

Cryptoclidids; Temporal range: ; Middle Jurassic - Early Cretaceous, 166–130 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Life restoration of Muraenosaurus leedsi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	†Sauropterygia
Order:	†Plesiosauria
Clade:	†Cryptoclidia
Family:	†Cryptoclididae; Williston, 1925
Genera
	†Abyssosaurus; †Colymbosaurus; †Cryptoclidus; †Djupedalia; †Kimmerosaurus; †Muraenosaurus; †Ophthalmothule; †Pantosaurus; †Picrocleidus; †Spitrasaurus; †Tatenectes; †Tricleidus; †Vinialesaurus;

Cryptoclididae is a family of medium-sized plesiosaurs that existed from the middle Jurassic to the early Cretaceous period. They had long necks, broad and short skulls and densely packed teeth. They fed on small soft-bodied preys such as small fish and crustaceans.

Classification

In 2010, two supposed late Cretaceous members of the group were reclassified as other kinds of plesiosauroids. Kaiwhekea was reclassified to Leptocleididae, and Aristonectes was transferred to Elasmosauridae.^[3]

Cladogram based on Ketchum and Benson (2010):^[3]

Cryptoclididae

	Muraenosaurus

	Tricleidus

	Cryptoclidus

	Kimmerosaurus

References

^ Roberts AJ, Druckenmiller PS, Cordonnier B, Delsett LL, Hurum JH. 2020. A new plesiosaurian from the Jurassic–Cretaceous transitional interval of the Slottsmøya Member (Volgian), with insights into the cranial anatomy of cryptoclidids using computed tomography. PeerJ 8:e8652 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8652
^ Gasparini, Z.; Bardet, N.; Iturralde-Vinent, M. (2002). "A new cryptoclidid plesiosaur from the Oxfordian (Late Jurassic) of Cuba" (PDF). Geobios. 35 (2): 201–211. doi:10.1016/s0016-6995(02)00019-0. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b 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.