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Melitosaurus champsoides

Reptilia - Gavialidae

Taxonomy
Melitosaurus champsoides was named by Owen (1850). Its type specimen is NHMUK PV OR41151, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Gozo Island, which is in a Burdigalian carbonate limestone in the Globigerina Limestone Formation of Malta. It is the type species of Melitosaurus.

It was recombined as Tomistoma champsoides by Lydekker (1886).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1850Melitosaurus champsoides Owen
1886Tomistoma champsoides Lydekker
2020Melitosaurus champsoides Nicholl et al.

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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()
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
—Diapsida()
RankNameAuthor
—Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
—Crocopoda
—ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
—Eucrocopoda
—Archosauria()
—Pseudosuchia(Zittel 1890)
—SuchiaKrebs 1974
—Paracrocodylomorpha
—Loricata(Merrem 1820)
—Crocodylomorpha()
—Solidocrania
suborderCrocodyliformes
—MesoeucrocodyliaWhetstone and Whybrow 1983
—NeosuchiaClark 1988
suborderEusuchiaHuxley 1875
—Crocodylia(Owen 1842)
superfamilyGavialoideaBrochu 1997
familyGavialidaeAdams 1854
—Tomistominae(Eastman 1902)
genusMelitosaurusOwen 1850
specieschampsoidesOwen 1850

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
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: marineuc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Diet: carnivoreuc
Created: 2009-01-03 20:38:59
Modified: 2009-01-03 22:38:59
Source: c = class, subp = subphylum, uc = unranked clade
References: Carroll 1988, Benton 1983, Bush and Bambach 2015, Hendy et al. 2009

Age range: Burdigalian or 20.44000 to 15.97000 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Burdigalian20.44 - 15.97Malta Melitosaurus champsoides (type locality: 118406)