PBDB Taxon

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Thalattosaurus

Osteichthyes - Thalattosauria

Taxonomy

Thalattosaurus was named by Merriam (1904) [Sepkoski's age data: Tr Carn Sepkoski's reference number: 1066]. Its type is Thalattosaurus alexandrae. It is the type genus of Thalattosauridae.

It was assigned to Thalattosaurida by Nicholls (1999); to Thalattosauria by Sepkoski (2002); to Thalattosauridae by Merriam (1905), Hay (1930), Benton (1985), Carroll (1988), Nicholls and Brinkman (1993), Müller (2007); and to Thalattosauroidea by Wu et al. (2009).

Species

T. alexandrae (type species), T. borealis, T. perrini, T. shastensis

Entered

by J. Sepkoski on 2003-01-23; modified by J. Marcot on 2017-12-19

Synonyms

Thalattosaurus shastensis was named by Merriam (1905). Its type specimen is UCMP 9120 and is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Nicholls (1999).
Thalattosaurus perrini was named by Merriam (1905). Its type specimen is lost and is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Nicholls (1999).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1904	Thalattosaurus Merriam p. 419 fig. 1
1905	Thalattosaurus Merriam p. 33 figs. plates 1,2,4,5,6,7,8
1905	Thalattosaurus shastensis Merriam pp. 35-36 figs. plates 3,4,7,8
1905	Thalattosaurus perrini Merriam pp. 36-37 figs. plates 4,5,7
1930	Thalattosaurus Hay p. 241
1930	Thalattosaurus perrini Hay p. 241
1930	Thalattosaurus shastensis Hay p. 241
1985	Thalattosaurus Benton p. 154
1988	Thalattosaurus Carroll
1993	Thalattosaurus Nicholls and Brinkman p. 271 fig. 8
1999	Thalattosaurus Nicholls p. 2
2002	Thalattosaurus Sepkoski
2007	Thalattosaurus Müller p. 239 fig. 2
2009	Thalattosaurus Wu et al. p. 17 fig. 8

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
class	Osteichthyes
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha

Rank	Name	Author
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida
—	Diapsida	()
—	Thalattosauriformes
order	Thalattosauria
superfamily	Thalattosauroidea	Nopcsa 1928
genus	Thalattosaurus

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.

G. †Thalattosaurus Merriam 1904

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†Thalattosaurus alexandrae Merriam 1904

†Thalattosaurus borealis Nicholls and Brinkman 1993

Invalid names: Thalattosaurus perrini Merriam 1905 [nomen dubium], Thalattosaurus shastensis Merriam 1905 [nomen dubium]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
E. L. Nicholls and D. Brinkman 1993	Premaxilla toothless, beaked, with "pseudodont dentition" of bony projections; maxilla long, slender, tapering anteriorly along ventral edge of premaxilla; vomer massive with powerful crushing teeth.
E. L. Nicholls 1999	Large thalattosaur, 2-3 metres in length. Anterior extension of jugal reaches anteroventral border of the orbit, almost excluding maxilla from orbital margin; premaxilla edentulous, with pseudodont "denti- tion" of bony projections; five small, low-crowned, button- like teeth on maxilla; fifteen to sixteen teeth on dentary, anterior dentary teeth high, conical, procumbent, posterior dentary teeth low-crowned, button-like; coronoid process high and blunt; heavily striated, flange-like deltopectoral crest on humerus.