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Nyctosaurus nanus

Reptilia

Taxonomy
Pteranodon nanus was named by Marsh (1881). Its type specimen is YPM 1182, a set of postcrania (Scapula, coracoid, humerus, vertebra, bone fragments), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Pteranodon nanus holotype, which is in a Coniacian/Santonian offshore horizon in the Niobrara Formation of Kansas.

It was synonymized subjectively with Nyctosaurus gracilis by Williston (1903); it was synonymized subjectively with Pteranodon (Nyctosaurus) gracilis by Miller (1971); it was recombined as Nyctosaurus nanus by Hay (1930), Charig (1967) and Bennett (1994).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1881Pteranodon nanus Marsh p. 343
1892Pteranodon nanus Williston p. 2
1902Pteranodon nanus Hay p. 508
1930Nyctosaurus nanus Hay p. 164
1967Nyctosaurus nanus Charig p. 718
1984Pteranodon nanus Schoch
1994Nyctosaurus nanus Bennett p. 14

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
RankNameAuthor
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
Diapsida()
Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
Crocopoda
ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
Eucrocopoda
Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
Ornithodira
PterosauromorphaPadian 1997
Pterosauria(Kaup 1834)
suborderPterodactyloideaPlieninger 1901
genusNyctosaurus
speciesnanus()

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.

Nyctosaurus nanus Marsh 1881
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Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: marineo
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: volanto
Diet: piscivoreo
Created: 2009-01-04 11:38:30
Modified: 2017-04-17 10:39:23
Source: o = order, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Carroll 1988, Padian 1985, Hendy et al. 2009

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Coniacian to the top of the Early/Lower Santonian or 89.30000 to 83.50000 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Coniacian - Early/Lower Santonian89.3 - 83.5USA (Kansas) Pteranodon nanus (type locality: 93388)