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Moanasaurus mangahouangae
Taxonomy
Moanasaurus mangahouangae was named by Wiffen (1980). Its type specimen is CD43 (or S34-S77), a partial skeleton (Disarticulated skull, procoelus vertebrae, paddle elements, and rib fragments), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Mangahouanga Stream (N104/f909), which is in a Campanian/Maastrichtian marginal marine sandstone in the Tahora Formation of New Zealand.
It was recombined as Mosasaurus mangahouangae by Wright (1989).
It was recombined as Mosasaurus mangahouangae by Wright (1989).
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Moanasaurus mangahouangae Wiffen pp. 507-528 |
| 1989 | Mosasaurus mangahouangae Wright pp. 126-127 |
| 1990 | Moanasaurus mangahouangae Wiffen p. 87 |
| 1991 | Moanasaurus mangahouangae Fordyce p. 1174 |
| 2019 | Moanasaurus mangahouangae Driscoll et al. |
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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.
†Moanasaurus mangahouangae Wiffen 1980
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Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| J. Wiffen 1980 | A mosasaur of moderate size, but heavily constructed. Skull length estimated at 780 mm, large broad frontal, skull widest in the region of the postorbitofrontal parietal union. 15 maxillary teeth. Basioccipital is a solidly sutured unit with prootics, opisthotic-exoccipitals, supratemporals, supraoccipital, and squamosals. Atlas centra fused to axis. Anterior cervicals horizontally compressed with broad low synapophyseal bases. Ventral hypapophyseal peduncle of axis facing posteriorly, continuing dorsoventrally, hypapophyses not fused. Functional zygapophyses,
zygosphenes, and zygantra present on vertebrae into dorsal region. Haemal arches long and fused. Humerus short and massive, carpals rounded, metacarpals and phalanx hour-glass shaped. | |
| J. Wiffen 1990 | An adult mosasaurine with an estimated skull length of 780 mm. Articulated frontal, parietal, postorbitalfrontal. Dorsal surface of frontal broad, with median dorsal ridge, not emarginated over orbits. Distal tongues reach the parietal foramen, with the ventral surface ridged and grooved for union with postorbitalfrontal and prefrontal. Anteriorly parietal slotsintopocketunderdistalwingsoffrontal,andcloseunion of frontal, parietal, and postorbitalfrontal ensured by interlocking ridges and grooves on ventral surface. Stout basioccipital unit has broad, fused opisthotic and exoccipital. Maxilla with 15 slender faceted teeth. Cervical vertebrae dorsoventrally compressed, with horizontally oval articular facets. Pygals with long transverse processes, caudals with fused haemal arches. Humerus robust, expanded anteriorly and distally, with entepicondyle well developed. Phalanges slender and waisted. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: f = family, c = class, subp = subphylum, uc = unranked clade | |||||
| References: Gervais 1852, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009 | |||||
Age range: base of the Late/Upper Campanian to the top of the Early/Lower Maastrichtian or 83.50000 to 66.00000 Ma
Collections (2 total)
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late/Upper Campanian - Early/Lower Maastrichtian | New Zealand (Hawke's Bay) | Moanasaurus mangahouangae (232252) | |
| Late/Upper Campanian - Early/Lower Maastrichtian | New Zealand | Moanasaurus mangahouangae (type locality: 232249) |