Meyerasaurus Temporal range:
Early Jurassic,
| |
---|---|
The holotype in the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Superorder: | † Sauropterygia |
Order: | † Plesiosauria |
Family: | † Rhomaleosauridae |
Genus: | †
Meyerasaurus Smith & Vincent, 2010 |
Species: | †M. victor
|
Binomial name | |
†Meyerasaurus victor (Fraas, 1910 [originally
Plesiosaurus])
| |
Synonyms | |
|
Meyerasaurus is an extinct genus of rhomaleosaurid known from Holzmaden, Baden- Württemberg of southwestern Germany. [1]
Meyerasaurus is known from the holotype SMNS 12478, articulated and complete skeleton which preserved the skull, exposed in ventral view. It has a skull length of 37 centimetres (1 ft 3 in), a body length of 3.35–3.44 m (11.0–11.3 ft). [1] [2] It was collected from the Harpoceras elegantulum-falciferum ammonoid subzones, Harpoceras falcifer zone, of the famous Posidonien-Schiefer lagerstätte ( Posidonia Shale), dating to the early Toarcian stage of the Early Jurassic, about 183-180 million years ago. [1]
Meyerasaurus was first named by Adam S. Smith and Peggy Vincent in 2010 and the type species is Meyerasaurus victor. It was originally classified as a species of Plesiosaurus, later as the second named species of Thaumatosaurus (defunct name, meaning "wonder reptile") and ultimately as a species of Eurycleidus or Rhomaleosaurus. The generic name honors the German palaeontologist Hermann von Meyer for proposing the generic name Thaumatosaurus. [1]
The cladogram below shows Meyerasaurus phylogenetic position among other plesiosaurs, following Benson et al. (2012). [3]
Meyerasaurus Temporal range:
Early Jurassic,
| |
---|---|
The holotype in the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Superorder: | † Sauropterygia |
Order: | † Plesiosauria |
Family: | † Rhomaleosauridae |
Genus: | †
Meyerasaurus Smith & Vincent, 2010 |
Species: | †M. victor
|
Binomial name | |
†Meyerasaurus victor (Fraas, 1910 [originally
Plesiosaurus])
| |
Synonyms | |
|
Meyerasaurus is an extinct genus of rhomaleosaurid known from Holzmaden, Baden- Württemberg of southwestern Germany. [1]
Meyerasaurus is known from the holotype SMNS 12478, articulated and complete skeleton which preserved the skull, exposed in ventral view. It has a skull length of 37 centimetres (1 ft 3 in), a body length of 3.35–3.44 m (11.0–11.3 ft). [1] [2] It was collected from the Harpoceras elegantulum-falciferum ammonoid subzones, Harpoceras falcifer zone, of the famous Posidonien-Schiefer lagerstätte ( Posidonia Shale), dating to the early Toarcian stage of the Early Jurassic, about 183-180 million years ago. [1]
Meyerasaurus was first named by Adam S. Smith and Peggy Vincent in 2010 and the type species is Meyerasaurus victor. It was originally classified as a species of Plesiosaurus, later as the second named species of Thaumatosaurus (defunct name, meaning "wonder reptile") and ultimately as a species of Eurycleidus or Rhomaleosaurus. The generic name honors the German palaeontologist Hermann von Meyer for proposing the generic name Thaumatosaurus. [1]
The cladogram below shows Meyerasaurus phylogenetic position among other plesiosaurs, following Benson et al. (2012). [3]