PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Tylosaurus

Osteichthyes - Mosasauridae

Taxonomy

Tylosaurus was named by Marsh (1872) [Sepkoski's age data: K Sant-u K Camp-l]. Its type is Tylosaurus nepaeolicus.

It was synonymized subjectively with Liodon by Zittel (1890).

It was assigned to Mosasauria by Leidy (1873); to Plioplatecarpidae by Russell (1970); to Squamata by Sepkoski (2002); to Mosasauridae by Osborn (1899), Osborn (1899), McDowell and Bogert (1954), Miller (1967), Carroll (1988), Everhart (2002); to Russellosaurina by Bell and Polcyn (2005); and to Tylosaurinae by Hay (1902), Hay (1930), Russell (1967), Thurmond (1969), Welles and Gregg (1971), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Lindgren and Siverson (2002), Novas et al. (2002), Bardet et al. (2005), Bardet et al. (2006), Bell et al. (2013), Jiménez-Huidobro et al. (2018), Hornung et al. (2018), Driscoll et al. (2019), Plasse et al. (2024).

Species

Elliptonodon, Elliptonodon compressus, Mosasaurus alseni, T. bernardi, T. dyspelor, T. iembeensis, T. ivoensis, T. kansasensis, T. laticaudus, T. nepaeolicus (type species), T. pembinensis, T. perlatus, T. proriger (syn. Rhinosaurus micromus), T. saskatchewanensis, T. zangerli

Species lacking formal opinion data

T. proriger

Sister genera

Elliptonodon

Synonyms

Elliptonodon was named by Emmons (1858). Its type is Elliptonodon compressus.

It was synonymized subjectively with Mosasaurus by Zittel (1890); it was considered a nomen dubium by Miller (1967).

It was assigned to Tylosaurinae by Hay (1902); to Mosasaurinae by Hay (1930); and to Mosasauridae by McDowell and Bogert (1954).
Elliptonodon compressus was named by Emmons (1858) [USNM has a cast of the type]. It is not a trace fossil. It is the type species of Elliptonodon.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Miller (1967), Russell (1967).
Liodon dyspelor was named by Cope (1870). It is not extant. Its type locality is Fort McRae, which is in a Cretaceous marine chalk in New Mexico.

It was recombined as Tylosaurus dyspelor by Leidy (1873), Osborn (1899), Osborn (1899), Hay (1902), Hay (1930); it was considered a nomen vanum by Russell (1967).
Rhinosaurus was named by Marsh (1872).

It was replaced with Rhamphosaurus by Cope (1872); it was synonymized subjectively with Liodon by Zittel (1890); it was replaced with Tylosaurus by Leidy (1873), Hay (1902), Russell (1967).
Rhamphosaurus was named by Cope (1872).

It was synonymized subjectively with Liodon by Zittel (1890); it was replaced with Tylosaurus by Leidy (1873), Hay (1902), Russell (1967).
Mosasaurus alseni was named by Stolley (1892). Its type specimen is CAUK G-K-588, a tooth, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Alsen chalk-pit (Lägerdorf), which is in a Santonian/Campanian marine chalk in the Lagerdorf Formation of Germany.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Hornung and Reich (2015).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1858	Elliptonodon Emmons
1858	Elliptonodon compressus Emmons p. 222
1870	Liodon dyspelor Cope
1871	Liodon dyspelor Cope p. 410
1872	Rhamphosaurus Cope p. 2
1872	Liodon dyspelor Cope p. 333
1872	Rhinosaurus Marsh p. 17
1872	Tylosaurus Marsh p. 47
1873	Tylosaurus dyspelor Leidy p. 271
1873	Tylosaurus Leidy p. 343
1874	Liodon dyspelor Cope p. 38
1875	Liodon dyspelor Cope p. 167
1892	Mosasaurus alseni Stolley
1899	Tylosaurus Osborn p. 169
1899	Tylosaurus dyspelor Osborn p. 169
1899	Tylosaurus Osborn p. 920
1899	Tylosaurus dyspelor Osborn p. 920
1902	Tylosaurus Hay p. 471
1902	Tylosaurus dyspelor Hay p. 472
1902	Elliptonodon Hay p. 473
1902	Elliptonodon compressus Hay p. 473
1930	Tylosaurus Hay p. 258
1930	Tylosaurus dyspelor Hay p. 259
1930	Elliptonodon Hay p. 264
1930	Elliptonodon compressus Hay p. 264
1954	Elliptonodon McDowell and Bogert p. 132
1954	Tylosaurus McDowell and Bogert p. 132
1967	Tylosaurus Miller p. 227
1967	Tylosaurus Russell p. 170
1969	Tylosaurus Thurmond p. 76
1970	Tylosaurus Russell p. 374
1971	Tylosaurus Welles and Gregg p. 49
1981	Tylosaurus Thurmond and Jones p. 162
1988	Tylosaurus Carroll
2002	Tylosaurus Everhart p. 37
2002	Tylosaurus Lindgren and Siverson
2002	Tylosaurus Novas et al.
2002	Tylosaurus Sepkoski
2005	Tylosaurus Bardet et al.
2005	Tylosaurus Bell and Polcyn p. 189
2006	Tylosaurus Bardet et al.
2013	Tylosaurus Bell Jr. et al. p. 574
2018	Tylosaurus Hornung et al. p. 547
2018	Tylosaurus Jiménez-Huidobro et al.
2019	Tylosaurus Driscoll et al.
2024	Tylosaurus Plasse et al. p. 10

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
class	Osteichthyes
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda

Rank	Name	Author
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
—	Squamata	()
family	Mosasauridae
subfamily	Tylosaurinae	Wiliston 1895
genus	Tylosaurus	Marsh 1872

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. †Tylosaurus Marsh 1872

show all | hide all

†Tylosaurus bernardi Dollo 1885

†Tylosaurus iembeensis Antunes 1964

†Tylosaurus ivoensis Russell 1967

†Tylosaurus kansasensis Everhart 2005

†Tylosaurus laticaudus Marsh 1870

†Tylosaurus nepaeolicus Cope 1874

†Tylosaurus pembinensis Nicholls 1988

†Tylosaurus perlatus Cope 1869

†Tylosaurus proriger Cope 1869

hide

Invalid names: Rhinosaurus micromus Marsh 1872 [synonym]

†Tylosaurus saskatchewanensis Jiménez-Huidobro et al. 2018

†Tylosaurus zangerli Russell 1970

Invalid names: Elliptonodon Emmons 1858 [nomen dubium], Elliptonodon compressus Emmons 1858 [nomen dubium], Mosasaurus alseni Stolley 1892 [nomen dubium], Rhamphosaurus Cope 1872 [replaced], Rhinosaurus Marsh 1872 [replaced], Tylosaurus dyspelor Cope 1870 [nomen vanum]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

terrestrialuc

Locomotion:

actively mobilec

Life habit:

aquaticf

Diet:

carnivoref

Vision:

well-developedf

Reproduction:

ovoviviparousf

Created:

2018-01-05 16:32:54

Modified:

2018-01-05 22:32:54

Source: f = family, c = class, subp = subphylum, uc = unranked clade

References: Kiessling 2004, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Gervais 1852

Age range: base of the Turonian to the top of the Late/Upper Maastrichtian or 93.90000 to 66.00000 Ma

Collections (63 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Cretaceous	100.5 - 66.0	USA (New Mexico)	Liodon dyspelor (199536)
Late/Upper Cretaceous	100.5 - 66.0	USA (South Dakota)	T. sp. (232419)
Turonian	93.9 - 89.8	Mexico (San Antonio El Bravo)	T. kansasensis (142743)
Turonian - Santonian	93.9 - 83.6	USA (Kansas)	T. dyspelor (85963) T. proriger (38721)
Coniacian	89.8 - 85.7	Angola	Mosasaurus iembeensis (60168 275500)
Early/Lower Coniacian	89.8 - 85.7	USA (Kansas)	T. sp. (62792)
Late/Upper Coniacian	89.8 - 85.7	USA (Kansas)	T. kansasensis (106063 118151 118153 118154 118155 118156 118157 118159 118160 118161 118162 118163) T. nepaeolicus (277363) T. sp., T. kansasensis (118152)
Late/Upper Coniacian - Early/Lower Santonian	89.8 - 83.6	USA (Texas)	T. nepaeolicus, T. kansasensis (151422)
Late/Upper Coniacian - Middle Santonian	89.8 - 83.6	USA (Kansas)	Liodon nepaeolicus (189448)
Coniacian - Campanian	89.8 - 72.2	Canada (Manitoba)	T. sp. (241444)
Early/Lower Santonian	85.7 - 83.6	USA (Kansas)	T. sp. (214534)
Late/Upper Santonian	85.7 - 83.6	France (Aude)	T. sp. (233200)
Santonian	85.7 - 83.6	USA (Kansas)	T. dyspelor (188487) T. proriger (99384 191649)
Santonian	85.7 - 83.6	USA (Colorado)	T. proriger (107708)
Late/Upper Santonian - Early/Lower Campanian	85.7 - 72.2	Germany (Schleswig-Holstein)	Mosasaurus alseni (138296)
Late/Upper Santonian - Early/Lower Campanian	85.7 - 72.2	USA (Alabama)	T. sp. (81972) T. zangerli (81927)
Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (Kansas)	T. proriger (107710)
Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (Montana)	T. proriger (107709)
Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (Texas)	T. sp. (107638)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Canada (Manitoba)	Hainosaurus pembinensis (23366)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (South Dakota)	T. proriger (39388)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Sweden (Skane)	Mosasaurus hoffmanni (106406) Mosasaurus sp. (106407) T. ivoensis (106405)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (North Carolina)	T. sp. (106277)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Sweden	Mosasaurus hoffmanni, Mosasaurus sp. (214339)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (Delaware)	T. sp. (46566)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Sweden (Götaland)	T. ivoensis (102886)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Sweden (Skåne)	Mosasaurus hoffmanni, Mosasaurus sp. (102883) T. ivoensis (74334)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (Texas)	T. proriger (106191)
Early/Lower Campanian - Middle Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (North Carolina)	T. sp. (57918)
Late/Upper Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (Texas)	T. sp. (106278)
Late/Upper Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Germany (Niedersachsen)	T. sp. (31993)
Late/Upper Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (South Carolina)	T. sp. (79363)
Late/Upper Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Canada (Saskatchewan)	T. saskatchewanensis (194177)
Late/Upper Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Belgium	Hainosaurus bernardi (118459)
Late/Upper Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Spain (Alava)	Mosasaurus sp. (141931)
Middle Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	Canada (Manitoba)	T. sp. (36707)
Middle Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (South Carolina)	T. sp. (180790)
Middle Campanian	83.6 - 72.2	USA (North Carolina)	T. sp. (128412)
Early/Lower Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Belgium	Hainosaurus bernardi (154736)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (New Jersey)	Liodon laticaudus (88034)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Jordan	Tylosaurus indet. (170239)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	USA (Alabama)	T. sp. (107501)