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Gondwananectes osvaldoi

Osteichthyes - Plesiosauria

Taxonomy
Gondwananectes osvaldoi was named by Otero et al. (2026). Its type specimen is MUHNCAL.20173, a partial skeleton (partial postcranial skeletonthree-dimensionally preserved), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Ojo Opache, which is in a Bajocian marine horizon in the Quehuita Formation of Chile. It is the type species of Gondwananectes.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
2026Gondwananectes osvaldoi Otero et al. p. 4 figs. 2-6

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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
genusGondwananectes
speciesosvaldoi

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.

†Gondwananectes osvaldoi Otero et al. 2026
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
R. A. Otero et al. 2026Plesiosauroid plesiosaur with the following unique combination of characters (potential autapomorphies markedwith *): anterior cervical centra with heart-shaped articularfacets(*), dorsoventrally compressed mid-cervical, posteriorcervical and posterior dorsal centra, thick posterior cervicaland pectoral neural spines with concave dorsal surfaces(*),pectoral girdle with rounded scapula and non-ossified clavicu-lar and interclavicular elements, and distally flattenedgastralia(*). Synapomorphies (phylogenetic analysis) includezygapophyses oriented horizontally (char. 167:0), anterior cer-vical neural spines as long as tall (char. 171:3), V-shaped neu-rocentral suture in anterior–middle cervical vertebrae (char.172:1), dorsal transverse processes oriented approximately hori-zontally (char. 182:0), anterior process of the coracoidinflected anterolaterally (char. 213:1), and presence of a ventralprojection or process extending from coracoid symphysis(char. 215:1).
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: Bajocian or 170.90000 to 168.20000 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Bajocian170.9 - 168.2Chile (Antofagasta) Gondwananectes osvaldoi (type locality: 278375)