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Spitrasaurus
Taxonomy
Spitrasaurus was named by Knutsen et al. (2012) [urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A2D5F573-6ACD-4FCF-9207-476614DE460E]. Its type is Spitrasaurus wensaasi.
It was assigned to Plesiosauroidea by Knutsen et al. (2012); and to Cryptoclididae by Benson and Druckenmiller (2014).
It was assigned to Plesiosauroidea by Knutsen et al. (2012); and to Cryptoclididae by Benson and Druckenmiller (2014).
Species
S. larseni, S. wensaasi (type species)
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Spitrasaurus Knutsen et al. p. 189 |
| 2014 | Spitrasaurus Benson and Druckenmiller figs. 2-3 |
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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.
G. †Spitrasaurus Knutsen et al. 2012
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†Spitrasaurus larseni Knutsen et al. 2012
†Spitrasaurus wensaasi Knutsen et al. 2012
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| E. M. Knutsen et al. 2012 | Plesiosaur exhibiting the following unique combination of characters and autapomorphies: as many as 60 cervical vertebrae (excluding three pectorals; 35 in Cryptoclidus, 47 in Muraenosaurus and 42 in Colymbosaurus); articular surfaces of cervical centra very slightly concave to flat (conspicuously concave in Djupedalia, Kimmerosaurus, Tricleidus, Cryptoclidus and Colymbosaurus); cervical centra exhibiting a prominent lateral ridge (absent in Djupedalia, Kimmerosaurus, Tricleidus, Cryptoclidus and Colymbosaurus); cervical neural spines posteriorly shifted so that the posterior margin of the neural arch pedicel is in line with the middle of the neural spine (even more posteriorly shifted in Djupedalia); prezygapophyses fused ventrally along the midline for their entire length (unfused in Cryptoclidus and Kimmerosaurus); postzygapophyses fused along the midline for their entire length (except for in posteriormost cervicals; unfused in Djupedalia); dorsal neural spines approximately 1.2 times taller than anteroposteriorly long (significantly longer in Cryptoclidus and Muraenosaurus); humeri and femora subequal in length (femora longer than humeri in Djupedalia, humeri longer than femora in Cryptoclidus and Muraenosaurus); forelimbs and hindlimbs with three elements in the epipodial row (two in Cryptoclidus and Muraenosaurus) and a column of three or more preaxial accessory ossicles originating from between the epipodial and mesopodial rows; epipodials anteroposteriorly wider than they are proximodistally long; ulna triangular with equally long distal facets. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: o = order | |||||
| Reference: Kiessling 2004 | |||||