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Pliosauroidea
Taxonomy
Pliosauroidea was named by Welles (1943).
It was assigned to Plesiosauria by Delair (1960), Persson (1963), Kuhn (1966), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Wiffen and Moisley (1986) and Bardet et al. (1991); to Neoplesiosauria by Ketchum and Benson (2010); to Plesiosauria by Welles (1943), Welles (1962), Brown (1981), Carroll (1988), Gasparini and Spalletti (1993), Carpenter (1996), Gasparini (1997), O'Keefe (2001), Schumacher and Everhart (2005), Ketchum and Benson (2011) and Gomez-Perez and Noe (2011); and to Plesiosauria by Gasparini and O'Gorman (2014), Páramo-Fonseca et al. (2018), Meza-Velez and O'Gorman (2021) and Páramo-Fonseca et al. (2023).
It was assigned to Plesiosauria by Delair (1960), Persson (1963), Kuhn (1966), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Wiffen and Moisley (1986) and Bardet et al. (1991); to Neoplesiosauria by Ketchum and Benson (2010); to Plesiosauria by Welles (1943), Welles (1962), Brown (1981), Carroll (1988), Gasparini and Spalletti (1993), Carpenter (1996), Gasparini (1997), O'Keefe (2001), Schumacher and Everhart (2005), Ketchum and Benson (2011) and Gomez-Perez and Noe (2011); and to Plesiosauria by Gasparini and O'Gorman (2014), Páramo-Fonseca et al. (2018), Meza-Velez and O'Gorman (2021) and Páramo-Fonseca et al. (2023).
Subtaxa
Synonyms
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Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1892 | Brachydeira Seeley p. 151 |
| 1943 | Pliosauroidea Welles |
| 1960 | Pliosauroidea Delair p. 69 |
| 1962 | Pliosauroidea Welles p. 4 |
| 1963 | Pliosauroidea Persson p. 1 |
| 1966 | Pliosauroidea Kuhn p. 115 |
| 1981 | Pliosauroidea Brown p. 341 |
| 1981 | Pliosauroidea Thurmond and Jones p. 141 |
| 1986 | Pliosauroidea Wiffen and Moisley p. 243 |
| 1988 | Pliosauroidea Carroll |
| 1991 | Pliosauroidea Bardet et al. p. 1346 |
| 1993 | Pliosauroidea Gasparini and Spalletti p. 249 |
| 1996 | Pliosauroidea Carpenter p. 261 |
| 1997 | Pliosauroidea Gasparini p. 136 |
| 2001 | Pliosauroidea O'Keefe p. 19 fig. 20 |
| 2005 | Pliosauroidea Schumacher and Everhart p. 36 |
| 2010 | Pliosauroidea Ketchum and Benson p. 15 |
| 2011 | Pliosauroidea Gomez-Perez and Noe |
| 2011 | Pliosauroidea Ketchum and Benson p. 126 |
| 2014 | Pliosauroidea Gasparini and O'Gorman |
| 2018 | Pliosauroidea Páramo-Fonseca et al. |
| 2021 | Pliosauroidea Meza-Velez and O'Gorman |
| 2023 | Pliosauroidea Páramo-Fonseca et al. p. 2 |
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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.
Superfm. †Pliosauroidea Welles 1943
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Fm. †Pliosauridae Seeley 1874
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G. †Attenborosaurus Bakker 1993
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G. †Hauffiosaurus O'Keefe 2001
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†Hauffiosaurus longirostris Tate and Blake 1876
†Hauffiosaurus tomistomimus Benson et al. 2011
†Hauffiosaurus zanoni O'Keefe 2001
G. †Stenorhynchosaurus Páramo-Fonseca et al. 2016
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†Stenorhynchosaurus munozi Páramo-Fonseca et al. 2016
G. †Strongylokrotaphus Novozhilov 1964
G. †Thalassiodracon Storrs and Taylor 1996
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†Thalassiodracon hawkinsii Owen 1840
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Invalid names: Plesiosaurus eleutheraxon Seeley 1865 [synonym], Plesiosaurus etheridgei Huxley 1858 [synonym], Plesiosaurus etheridgii Huxley 1858 [synonym]
Invalid names: Plesiosaurus hexatarsostinus Hawkins 1840 [nomen oblitum], Plesiosaurus pentetarsostinus Hawkins 1834 [nomen oblitum], Plesiosaurus triatarsostinus Hawkins 1834 [nomen oblitum]
Unr. †Thalassophonea Benson and Druckenmiller 2014
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Subfm. †Brachaucheninae Williston 1925
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G. †Discosaurus Leidy 1851
G. †Kronosaurus Longman 1924
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†Kronosaurus boyacensis Hampe 1992
†Kronosaurus queenslandicus Longman 1924
G. †Liopleurodon Sauvage 1873
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†Liopleurodon ferox Sauvage 1873
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Invalid names: Thaumatosaurus mosquensis Kiprijanoff 1883 [synonym]
†Liopleurodon pachydeirus Seeley 1869
G. †Pliosaurus Owen 1841
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†Pleiosaurus macromerus Phillips 1871
†Pliosaurus almanzaensis O’Gorman et al. 2018
†Pliosaurus andrewsi Tarlo 1960
†Pliosaurus carpenteri Benson et al. 2013
†Pliosaurus funkei Knutsen et al. 2012
†Pliosaurus gamma Phillips 1871
†Pliosaurus grandis Owen 1840
†Pliosaurus grossouvrei Sauvage 1873
†Pliosaurus kevani Benson et al. 2013
†Pliosaurus patagonicus Gasparini and O'Gorman 2014
†Pliosaurus rossicus Novozhilov 1948
†Pliosaurus westburyensis Benson et al. 2013
Invalid names: Cetiosaurus rigauxi Sauvage 1874 [nomen dubium], Ischyrodon Merian 1838 [synonym], Plesiosaurus giganteus Conybeare 1824 [nomen oblitum], Pliosaurus irgisensis Novozhilov 1948 [nomen dubium], Pliosaurus portentificus Noè et al. 2004 [nomen dubium], Spondylosaurus Fischer 1845 [synonym], Stretosaurus Tarlo 1959 [synonym]
G. †Simolestes Andrews 1909
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†Simolestes indicus Lydekker 1877
†Simolestes keileni Godefroit 1994
†Simolestes vorax Andrews 1909
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Invalid names: Thaumatosaurus calloviensis Bogolubov 1912 [synonym]
Invalid names: Pliosaurus brachyspondylus Owen 1840 [nomen dubium], Pliosaurus macromerus Phillips 1871 [nomen dubium]
Invalid names: Pliosaurus aequalis Phillips 1871 [nomen dubium], Pliosaurus evansi Seeley 1869 [nomen dubium], Simolestinae Nopcsa 1923 [empty]
Invalid names: Brachydeira Seeley 1892 [synonym], Trinacromeridae Nopcsa 1923 [empty]
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| F. R. O'Keefe 2001 | "Snout constricted at premaxilla/maxilla suture; occipital condyle short with no groove; posterior bulb formed by squamosals present; pterygoids meet anterior to posterior interpterygoid vacuity; premaxilla excluded from internal naris margis; mandibular symphysis scoop-like or long; splenial included in mandibular symphysis; ventral keel present on cervical vertebrae; posterior articulation for succeeding neural spine in cervical neural spines absent." |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: superf = superfamily, o = order | |||||
| References: Hampe 2005, Kiessling 2004 | |||||
Age range: base of the Hettangian to the top of the Early/Lower Maastrichtian or 201.30000 to 66.00000 Ma
Collections (166 total)
Oldest occurrences | |||
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhaetian - Hettangian | United Kingdom (England) | Plesiosaurus etheridgii (96605) Plesiosaurus hawkinsii (96604 96608) | |
| Jurassic | United Kingdom (England) | Pliosaurus indet. (141865) | |
| Hettangian | United Kingdom (England) | Plesiosaurus hawkinsii (149321) | |
| Early/Lower Hettangian | United Kingdom (England) | Plesiosaurus hawkinsii, Plesiosaurus eleutheraxon (119083) Plesiosaurus sp. (110213) | |
| Early/Lower Hettangian - Early/Lower Pliensbachian | United Kingdom (England) | Plesiosaurus hawkinsi (118938) | |
| Sinemurian | United Kingdom (England) | Plesiosaurus laticeps (118472) | |
| Late/Upper Sinemurian | United Kingdom (England) | Plesiosaurus conybeari (118882) | |
| Early/Lower Pliensbachian | Denmark | Pliosauroidea indet. (90434) | |
| Late/Upper Pliensbachian | France (Calvados) | Cryonectes neustriacus (131488) | |
| Late/Upper Pliensbachian | Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia) | Arminisaurus schuberti (188883) | |
Youngest occurrences |
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| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | PBDB collection number |
| Middle Cenomanian | Canada (Saskatchewan) | Pliosauridae indet. (22731 52997) | |
| Turonian | USA (South Dakota) | Plesiosauria indet. (181902) | |
| Early/Lower Turonian | USA (Utah) | Brachauchenius lucasi (150871 150872) | |
| Early/Lower Turonian | Czech Republic | Pliosauridae indet. (180999) | |
| Early/Lower Turonian - Middle Turonian | USA (Kansas) | Brachauchenius lucasi (117803 132610) | |
| Middle Turonian | USA (Kansas) | Brachauchenius lucasi (117804) Pliosauridae indet. (117801 117802) Pliosauridae sp. (150370) | |
| Santonian - Campanian | Italy | Pliosauridae indet. (36448) | |
| Late/Upper Campanian | Russian Federation (Volgograd) | Pliosauridae indet. (59385) | |
| Middle Campanian - Early/Lower Maastrichtian | Peru (Amazonas) | Pliosauroidea indet. (51672) | |
| Late/Upper Maastrichtian | Chile (Concepcíon) | Pliosaurus sp. (13309) | |