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Whitakersaurus bermani
Taxonomy
Whitakersaurus bermani was named by Heckert et al. (2008). Its type specimen is NMMNH P-43123, a skull, and it is not a trace fossil. Its type locality is Ghost Ranch Quarry, which is in a Rhaetian crevasse splay siltstone/conglomerate in the Chinle Formation of New Mexico. It is the type species of Whitakersaurus.
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Whitakersaurus bermani Heckert et al. p. 831 figs. 2-3, Pl. 1-2 |
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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.
†Whitakersaurus bermani Heckert et al. 2008
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Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| A. B. Heckert et al. 2008 | A genus of sphenodontian lepidosaur distinguished from Gephyrosaurus (as well as most squamates) by its reduced tooth count (less than 20 dentary teeth) consisting of anteriorly pleurodont and posteriorly acrodont dentition and pronounced heterodonty, with posterior teeth significantly larger than the anterior teeth; ridged posterior teeth that are more ornamented than those of Diphydontosaurus; also distinct from Diphydontosaurus in that the teeth are taller, more conical, and possess a radial ornamentation; distinguished from both Diphydontosaurus and Gephyrosaurus in lacking the normal alternating replacement pattern for pleurodont dentitions described by Edmunds (1960); also distinguished from Gephyrosaurus by its much lower tooth count (<20 as opposed to c. 40); distinct from Planocephalosaurus and other, more derived sphenodontians (e.g. Clevosauridae, Sphenodontinae, Eilinodontinae, and Opisthodontia sensu Apesteguıa and Novas 2003) by presence of at least 19 dentary teeth and the lack of a distinct flange on the posterior dentition. Whitakersaurus differs from Paleollanosaurus in lacking tiny posterior teeth. The larger teeth of Whitakersaurus also exhibit more texture than those of Paleollanosaurus, are not as closely spaced, and are more conical and less recurved. The pronounced size increase of the posterior additional teeth differs from those of Opisthias, and Whitakersaurus contains many more teeth than Polysphenodon.
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Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum | |||||
| References: Kiessling 2004, Hendy et al. 2009, Carroll 1988 | |||||