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Barracudasaurus maotaiensis

Reptilia - Mixosauridae

Taxonomy
Mixosaurus maotaiensis was named by Young (1965). Its type specimen is IVPP V.2468, a partial skeleton, and it is not a trace fossil. Its type locality is Jenhui, which is in a Triassic marine limestone in China.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Motani (1999) and McGowan and Motani (2003); it was recombined as Barracudasaurus maotaiensis by Jiang et al. (2005).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1965Mixosaurus maotaiensis Young p. 368 figs. 1-2
2005Barracudasaurus maotaiensis Jiang et al. pp. 870-878 figs. 2, 4

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
RankNameAuthor
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
Diapsida()
Ichthyosauromorpha
Ichthyosauriformes
Ichthyopterygia(Owen 1840)
Eoichthyosauria
Ichthyosauria(de Blainville 1835)
Hueneosauria
familyMixosauridaeBaur 1887
genusBarracudasaurus
speciesmaotaiensis()

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.

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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
D.-Y. Jiang et al. 2005"Potential autapomorphies of Barracudasaurus include the following. Premaxillary teeth with rounded cross-section, elongate, conical and pointed, very widely spaced and apparently few in number (probably < 15). Maxillary teeth larger than premaxillary teeth. Anterior maxillary teeth robust, conical and bluntly pointed. Posterior maxillary teeth with anteroposteriorly slightly elongated cross-section, very short, robust and blunt. Humerus without postaxial facet, radial facet slopes distinctly anteroproximally. Coracoid with reduced posterior extension. Interclavicle of triangular shape. Clavicle slender, probably without medial thickening. Plesiomorphic features which aid in identification include the following. Small mixosaurid, skull length does not exceed 250 mm. Teeth subthecodontously implanted, roots show labyrinthodont infolding. All teeth show strong distinct apicobasal ridges. Maxilla short anteriorly. Postorbital skull segment long, about one-half the diameter of the orbit. A ventral extension of the postorbital covers the postorbital process of the jugal laterally. A deep postjugal incisure (jugal-quadratojugal notch) is present, bordered dorsally by the quadratojugal, squamosal and postorbital. No external contact between jugal and quadratojugal. Jugal very slender and fragile. Postorbital separates postfrontal and supratemporal. Sagittal crest low but extending anterior to the external naris. No postaxial ossifications of the forefin."
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Environment: marineo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: nektonico
Diet: carnivoreo
Reproduction: viviparouso
Created: 2009-07-20 06:07:40
Modified: 2010-02-23 00:20:57
Source: o = order
Reference: Kiessling 2004

Age range: Anisian or 247.20000 to 242.00000 Ma

Collections (2 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Anisian247.2 - 242.0China (Guizhou) Barracudasaurus maotaiensis (104866)
Middle Triassic247.2 - 237.0China (Guizhou) Mixosaurus maotaiensis (type locality: 37606)