Microcleidus

Microcleidus; Temporal range: Toarcian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Fossil M. homalospondylus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	†Sauropterygia
Order:	†Plesiosauria
Family:	†Microcleididae
Genus:	†Microcleidus; Watson, 1909
Type species
	Plesiosaurus homalospondylus; (Owen, 1865)
Other species
	M. macropterus (Seeley, 1865); M. tournemirensis (Sciau et al., 1990); M. melusinae Vincent et al., 2017;
Synonyms
	M. macropteus Plesiosaurus macropteus Seeley, 1865; M. tournemirensis Plesiosaurus tournemirensis Sciau et al., 1990; Occitanosaurus tournemirensis ; Bardet et al., 1999;

Microcleidus is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile belonging to the Plesiosauroidea. 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.

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]

Pistosauria

"Pistosaurus postcranium"

Augustasaurus hagdorni

Bobosaurus forojuliensis

Pistosaurus

Yunguisaurus liae

Plesiosauria

Pliosauroidea

Pliosauridae

Thalassiodracon hawkinsii

Hauffiosaurus spp.

	Attenborosaurus conybeari

	advanced pliosaurids

Rhomaleosauridae

NHMUK 49202 [now Anningasaura lymense]

advanced rhomaleosaurids

"Plesiosaurus" macrocephalus

	Archaeonectrus rostratus

	Macroplata tenuiceps

Plesiosauroidea

OUMNH J.10337 [now Stratesaurus taylori]

Plesiosauridae

Seeleyosaurus guilelmiimperatoris

	OUMNH J.28585

	Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus

Elasmosauridae and Cryptoclidia

Microcleidus homalospondylus

	Hydrorion brachypterygius

	Occitanosaurus tournemiensis

References

^ Ketchum HF, Benson RBJ. Global interrelationships of Plesiosaur (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses. Biological Reviews
^ "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 (inactive 2018-05-04). {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of May 2018 (link)

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]^{[permanent dead link]} Palæos.com 13 Oct 2006.

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[1] Ketchum HF, Benson RBJ. Global interrelationships of Plesiosaur (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses. Biological Reviews

[Marmornectes-2] "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 (inactive 2018-05-04). {{cite journal}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of May 2018 (link)

[1]

[2]

Classification

See also

References

Sources