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Traskasaura sandrae

Osteichthyes - Plesiosauria - Elasmosauridae

Taxonomy
Traskasaura sandrae was named by O’Keefe et al. (2025). Its type specimen is CDM 002, a skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Puntledge River, which is in a Santonian marine siliciclastic in the Haslam Formation of Canada. It is the type species of Traskasaura.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
2025Traskasaura sandrae O’Keefe et al. p. 4 figs. Figs 1–11

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
RankNameAuthor
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
Diapsida()
suborderSauropterygia
orderPlesiosauriade Blainville 1835
superfamilyPlesiosauroideaWelles 1943
familyElasmosauridaeCope 1869
genusTraskasaura
speciessandrae

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.

Traskasaura sandrae O’Keefe et al. 2025
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
F. R. O’Keefe et al. 2025Traskasaura sandrae possesses the following autapomorphic features that are unique to the taxon: teeth round with prominent longitudinal striations around entire circumference; ribs of anterior and middle cervical centra originate closer to posterior face of centrum, and trend anteriorly; glenoid surface of coracoid wide, and facing ventrally as well as laterally; cardiform recess of coracoid small and limited to posterior region of coracoid, but remaining round, unlike the condition in Aristonectes, resulting in a posterior process of the coracoid that is both long and wide; humerus shaft straight, with both the proximal and distal articulations (common plane of the epipodial articulations) at 90 to
shaft; large prearticular facet on radial edge of humerus that makes a 90 angle with the radial articulation; well-developed articular facet for a postaxial element posterior to the ulnar articulation, crescent-shaped in adult; articulation for preaxial element anterior to the tibia on the femur; both humerus and femur with pronounced ventral camber in distal view (shared by the epipodial row where known). Cladistic characters from the phylogenetic analysis identified as local autapomorphies of Traskasaura sandrae are: alveolar margin of upper jaw with scalloped
margin (13, 0! 1); pterygoid lateral to posterior inter-pterygoid vacuities forms ventrolaterally directed flange oriented posteromedially (not dished) (100, 2! 1); length of retroarticular process short (116 1! 0); anterior teeth round in cross-section (139, 2! 0); proportions of anterior and middle cervical centra much longer than high (153, 1! 3); length to height ratio of caudal centra greater than 0.85 (190, 1! 0); ilium shaft straight, with no curvature (221, 1! 0); ilium midshaft tubercle absent (225, 1! 0); ratio of ilium length to minimum anteroposterior width (227, 2! 1); axis of distal flippers at angle to axis of propodeal shafts due to relatively small ulna and fibula (237, 0! 1); humerus length to width ratio
less than 1.4 (244, 3! 4); preaxial expansion of distal humerus wide, comparable to postaxial expansion (245,1 ! 2).
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Environment: marineo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: aquatico
Depth habitat: surfaceo
Diet: carnivoreo
Reproduction: viviparouso
Created: 2009-07-20 06:05:48
Modified: 2011-08-12 01:58:15
Source: o = order
Reference: Kiessling 2004

Age range: Santonian or 85.70000 to 83.60000 Ma

Collections (3 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Santonian85.7 - 83.6Canada (British Columbia) Elasmosauridae indet. (type locality: 27722) Traskasaura sandrae (241624 241625)