Luskhan itilensis was named by Fischer et al. (2017) [Luskhan itilensis is characterized by the following autapomorphies: seven premaxillary teeth (unique within Thalassophonea); procumbent, nearly horizontal first premaxillary tooth; wide and strongly swollen interalveolar space between the first and second premaxillary alveoli; squamosal/quadrate suture expanding posteriorly into a hook-like, rugose process on the squamosal; exoccipitals meet ventromedially and thereby exclude the basioccipital from participating in the floor of the foramen magnum (at least posteriorly); deep lateral sulcus ventrally on the lateral surface of the dorsal lamella of the pterygoid; enlarged atlantal intercentrum swollen posteroventrally, with longitudinal ventral ridge; ventromedially expanded atlantal arches excluding the odontoid from the neural canal; tongue-like ventral process of the 3rd cervical centrum extending far anteroventrally to cover the ventral exposure of the axial centrum; anteromedial process of the coracoid extends ventrally rather than anteriorly, forming a 90° angle with coracoid plate; dorsoventrally short dorsal process of the scapula, extending approximately only as far dorsally as the distance posteriorly from the base of the scapular blade to the scapulocoracoid contact (unique among thalassophoneans; present otherwise in elasmosaurids e.g. [12]); epipodial elements are reduced, being comparable in size to tarsals; humeral tuberosity higher dorsally than ventral expansion of humeral capitulum; ulna longer than radius; absence of an epipodial foramen (unique among pliosaurids); intermedium contacting only the fibula proximally, and so bearing only a single proximal facet (the distal tarsals are not offset with respect to proximal tarsals in Marmornectes + Thalassophonea [2,13,14], but the intermedia of these species still bear a facet for the tibia, unlike in Luskhan itilensis); fibula much longer anteroposteriorly than tibia.]. Its type specimen is YKM 68344/1_262, a partial skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Luskhan itilensis type locality, which is in a Hauterivian offshore shale/siltstone in the Russian Federation. It is the type species of Luskhan.