PBDB Taxon

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

Geosaurus giganteus

Reptilia - Metriorhynchidae

Taxonomy

Lacerta gigantea was named by Sömmerring (1816). Its type specimen is NHMUK PV R1229, a partial skull (incomplete skull and mandible, lacking snout and occiput), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Daiting (BMNH collection), which is in a Tithonian lagoonal/restricted shallow subtidal lime mudstone in the Mörnsheim Formation of Germany.

It was synonymized subjectively with Mosasaurus bavaricus by Holl (1829); it was synonymized subjectively with Mosasaurus hoffmannii by Coues (1862), Lingham-Soliar (1995); it was recombined as Mosasaurus giganteus by Cope (1869); it was recombined as Geosaurus giganteus by Young and Andrade (2009), Young et al. (2010), Bronzati et al. (2012), Young et al. (2013), Parrilla-Bel and Canudo (2015).

Synonyms

Halilimnosaurus crocodiloides was named by Ritgen (1826).

It was synonymized subjectively with Mosasaurus bavaricus by Holl (1829); it was synonymized subjectively with Geosaurus giganteus by Young et al. (2010).
Brachytaenius perennis was named by Meyer (1842).

It was synonymized subjectively with Geosaurus giganteus by Young et al. (2010).
Geosaurus sommerringii was named by Meyer (1831).

It was corrected as Geosaurus sommerringi by Meyer (1859); it was synonymized subjectively with Geosaurus giganteus by Young et al. (2010).
Mosasaurus bavaricus was named by Holl (1829).

It was synonymized subjectively with Lacerta gigantea by Young and Andrade (2009).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1816	Lacerta gigantea Sömmering
1816	Lacerta gigantea Sömmerring
1826	Halilimnosaurus crocodiloides Ritgen p. 331
1829	Mosasaurus bavaricus Holl p. 85
1831	Geosaurus sommerringii Meyer
1842	Brachytaenius perennis Meyer
1851	Geosaurus soemmeringii Mantell p. 175
1853	Brachytaenius perennis Pictet p. 469
1859	Geosaurus sommerringi Meyer
1869	Mosasaurus giganteus Cope p. 262
1934	Lacerta gigantea Swinton p. 27
2009	Geosaurus giganteus Young and Andrade p. 559 figs. 1-4, 5A
2010	Geosaurus giganteus Young et al. p. 857
2012	Geosaurus giganteus Bronzati et al.
2013	Geosaurus giganteus Young et al.
2015	Geosaurus giganteus Parrilla-Bel and Canudo

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida

Rank	Name	Author
—	Diapsida	()
—	Archosauromorpha	(Huene 1946)
—	Crocopoda
—	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
—	Eucrocopoda
—	Archosauria	()
—	Pseudosuchia	(Zittel 1890)
—	Suchia	Krebs 1974
—	Paracrocodylomorpha
—	Loricata	(Merrem 1820)
—	Crocodylomorpha	()
infraorder	Thalattosuchia	()
—	Neothalattosuchia
superfamily	Metriorhynchoidea	Young et al. 2010
—	Euthalattosuchia
family	Metriorhynchidae	Fitzinger 1843
subfamily	Geosaurinae	Lydekker 1889
tribe	Geosaurini
subtribe	Geosaurina
genus	Geosaurus	Cuvier 1824
species	giganteus	(Sömmerring 1816)

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.

†Geosaurus giganteus Sömmerring 1816

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Invalid names: Brachytaenius perennis Meyer 1842 [synonym], Geosaurus sommerringi Meyer 1831 [synonym], Halilimnosaurus crocodiloides Ritgen 1826 [synonym], Mosasaurus bavaricus Holl 1829 [synonym]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
M. T. Young and M. B. Andrade 2009	Metriorhynchid thalattosuchian with strongly lateromedially compressed teeth, with a brevirostrine snout, keeled denticulate carinae; premaxillary, maxillary, and dentary teeth tri-faceted upon their labial surface; notch at the premaxilla–maxilla contact, which an enlarged dentary tooth fits into; dentary tooth opposite to premaxillary-maxillary suture enlarged; upper and lower jaw dentition arranged as opposing blades; cranial bones smooth, lacking conspicuous ornamentation; acute angle formed by the lateral and medial processes of the frontal; surangular poorly developed, terminating caudal to the anterior margin of the orbit; mandibular symphysis terminating prior to the antorbital fossa; robust and well-developed sclerotic ring encompassing the entire orbit.

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

hydroxyapatitesubo

Environment:

marinesubo

Locomotion:

actively mobilesubo

Life habit:

nektonicsubo

Diet:

carnivoresubo

Created:

2009-07-23 01:12:29

Modified:

2009-07-23 03:12:29

Source: subo = suborder

Reference: Kiessling 2004

Age range: Early/Lower Tithonian or 149.20000 to 145.06000 Ma

Collections (3 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Early/Lower Tithonian	149.2 - 145.06	Germany (Bayern)	Lacerta gigantea (type locality: 212951)
Early/Lower Tithonian	149.2 - 145.06	Germany	Geosaurus giganteus (121197)
Tithonian	149.2 - 143.1	Germany (Franconia)	Geosaurus giganteus (24521)