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Platecarpus tympaniticus

Reptilia - Mosasauridae

Taxonomy
Platecarpus tympaniticus was named by Cope (1869). Its type specimen is ANSP 8484, 8447, 8488, 8491, 8558, 8559, 8562, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Columbus, which is in a Santonian/Campanian marine sandstone in the Eutaw Formation of Mississippi. It is the type species of Platecarpus.

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1869Platecarpus tympaniticus Cope p. 265
1870Platecarpus tympaniticus Cope p. 200
1870Liodon ictericus Cope p. 577
1870Liodon mudgei Cope p. 581
1871Holcodus coryphaeus Cope p. 6
1871Holcodus ictericus Cope p. 9
1871Holcodus mudgei Cope p. 10
1872Platecarpus tympaniticus Cope
1872Lestosaurus felix Marsh
1872Lestosaurus gracilis Marsh
1872Lestosaurus simus Marsh
1872Lestosaurus latifrons Marsh p. 458 figs. Pl. XIII, fig. 3
1872Lestosaurus coryphaeus Marsh p. 461
1872Lestosaurus ictericus Marsh p. 461
1873Lestosaurus coryphaeus Leidy p. 276
1874Platecarpus coryphaeus Cope p. 35
1874Platecarpus felix Cope p. 35
1874Platecarpus ictericus Cope p. 35
1874Platecarpus gracilis Cope p. 36
1874Platecarpus latifrons Cope p. 36
1874Platecarpus mudgei Cope p. 36
1874Platecarpus simus Cope p. 36
1875Platecarpus coryphaeus Cope p. 142
1875Platecarpus ictericus Cope p. 144
1875Platecarpus mudgei Cope p. 157
1875Platecarpus felix Cope p. 267
1875Platecarpus gracilis Cope p. 268
1875Platecarpus latifrons Cope p. 268
1875Platecarpus simus Cope p. 268
1877Platecarpus coryphaeus Cope p. 584
1877Platecarpus ictericus Cope p. 584
1880Holosaurus abruptus Marsh p. 87
1894Platecarpus coryphaeus Merriam p. 29
1894Platecarpus ictericus Merriam p. 30
1894Platecarpus simus Merriam p. 30
1897Holosaurus abruptus Marsh p. 527
1897Lestosaurus simus Marsh p. 527
1902Lestosaurus coryphaeus Hay p. 469
1902Lestosaurus simus Hay p. 469
1902Platecarpus tympaniticus Hay p. 469
1902Lestosaurus felix Hay p. 470
1902Lestosaurus gracilis Hay p. 470
1902Lestosaurus ictericus Hay p. 470
1902Lestosaurus latifrons Hay p. 470
1902Lestosaurus mudgei Hay p. 470
1902Holosaurus abruptus Hay p. 471
1928Platecarpus simus Perrier p. 3091
1930Platecarpus coryphaeus Hay p. 260
1930Platecarpus felix Hay p. 260
1930Platecarpus gracilis Hay p. 260
1930Platecarpus ictericus Hay p. 260
1930Platecarpus latifrons Hay p. 260
1930Platecarpus mudgei Hay p. 260
1930Platecarpus simus Hay p. 260
1930Holosaurus abruptus Hay p. 261
1930Platecarpus tympaniticus Hay p. 261
1934Platecarpus coryphaeus Swinton p. 19
1967Platecarpus tympaniticus Russell p. 152
1967Platecarpus coryphaeus Russell p. 153
1967Platecarpus ictericus Russell p. 154
1969Platecarpus coryphaeus Thurmond p. 72
1981Platecarpus coryphaeus Thurmond and Jones p. 159
1981Platecarpus ictericus Thurmond and Jones p. 159
1981Platecarpus tympaniticus Thurmond and Jones p. 159
2007Platecarpus ictericus Konishi and Caldwell
2007Platecarpus tympaniticus Konishi and Caldwell
2010Platecarpus tympaniticus Konishi et al.
2010Platecarpus tympaniticus Lindgren et al.
2012Platecarpus tympaniticus Konishi et al.
2014Platecarpus tympaniticus Fanti et al.
2019Platecarpus tympaniticus Driscoll et al.

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
RankNameAuthor
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
Squamata()
familyMosasauridae
Russellosaurina(Bell 1997)
subfamilyPlioplatecarpinae(Dollo 1884)
Plioplatecarpini()
genusPlatecarpus
speciestympaniticus

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.

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Invalid names: Holcodus coryphaeus Cope 1871 [synonym], Lestosaurus felix Marsh 1872 [synonym], Lestosaurus gracilis Marsh 1872 [synonym], Lestosaurus latifrons Marsh 1872 [synonym], Lestosaurus simus Marsh 1872 [synonym], Liodon ictericus Cope 1870 [synonym], Liodon mudgei Cope 1870 [synonym]
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
T. Konishi and M. W. Caldwell 2007Small predental rostrum of premaxilla may or may not be present; up to 12 maxillary teeth; posterior termination of maxillary-premaxillary suture between second and third maxillary tooth; prefrontal forms posterior one third of lateral border of external naris; incipient supraorbital process on prefrontal; lateral margin of frontal gently curved in preorbital region; lateral borders of frontal converge anterior to orbits; frontal forms median notch to receive anterior portion of parietal table; lateral margins of parietal table form narrow parietal crest anterior to divergence of suspensorial rami; 10 or more pterygoid teeth; ectopterygoid process projects anterolaterally from dentigerous body of pterygoid; posteroventral process of jugal present; suprastapedial process of quadrate elongate (more than two-thirds total quadrate height); supra- and infrastapedial processes unfused; large, vertically elongate stapedial pit; elongate, parallel-sided stapedial notch; mandibular condyle gently convex, transversally wide; small ventral opening for basilar artery between basioccipital and basisphenoid; 11 to 12 teeth in dentary; retroarticular process rounded with large foramina on ventral surface; marginal teeth recurved, and possess anterior and posterior carinae, lingual striations and labial facets; 29 presacral vertebrae, 5 pygals, 91 to 96 caudals; 3 ossified tarsals.
T. Konishi et al. 2010No predental rostrum on premaxilla; first pair of premaxillary teeth procumbent; prefrontal posteriorly contacting postorbitofrontal above orbit; frontal supraorbital border thin to slightly thickened lateral to prefrontal-postorbitofrontal contact; frontal median dorsal keel present; pair of broadly shallow parasagittal excavations extending in parallel with this keel on dorsal side; supraorbital bulge distinct; parietal foramen anterior border occurring within one foramen length from fronto-parietal suture; parietal table triangular, wider than long; parietal table lateral borders posteriorly converging with weak convexity; parietal crest typically obtuse angled; quadrate cephalic condyle anterior border straight; same condyle with round, obtuse anteromedial corner; stapedial pit oval with straight lateral borders; medial vertical ridge broadly rounded; quadrate shaft with or without slight posteroventral eminence with straight posterior border; mandibular condyle transversely wide, teardrop-shaped in outline with its apex pointing anteromedially; suprastapedial process distally terminating in rounded expansion; basal tubera moderately well developed but widely separated from each other; coronoid process moderately developed; coronoid posterior border posteriorly descending at about 45 degrees from horizontal; retroarticular process rounded; eighth intercentrum (hypapophyseal peduncle) absent on seventh cervical centrum; zygapophyses functional throughout pre-pygal series; 20 to 23? dorsal vertebrae; five to six pygal vertebrae; approximately 85 post-pygal caudal vertebrae (FHSM VP-322; LACM 128319; Williston, 1910); scapula and coracoid sub-equal in size; pectoral crest distinct but narrow; radius hatchet-shaped to nearly semi-circular; carpals typically four; tarsals three; paddle broad, base of fifth digit divaricate from the others at 60 degrees or greater angle.
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialuc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: aquaticf
Diet: carnivoref
Vision: well-developedf
Reproduction: ovoviviparousf
Created: 2018-01-05 16:32:54
Modified: 2018-01-05 16:32:54
Source: f = family, c = class, subp = subphylum, uc = unranked clade
References: Hendy et al. 2009, Gervais 1852, Carroll 1988

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Coniacian to the top of the Late/Upper Maastrichtian or 89.30000 to 66.00000 Ma

Collections (15 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Cretaceous145.0 - 66.0USA (Kansas) Liodon ictericus (199538)
Turonian - Santonian93.9 - 83.6USA (Kansas) Platecarpus abruptus (107339) Platecarpus ictericus (38720)
Coniacian - Santonian89.8 - 83.6USA (Kansas) Liodon mudgei (199541)
Early/Lower Coniacian89.3 - 85.8USA (Texas) Platecarpus coryphaeus (106188)
Late/Upper Coniacian89.3 - 85.8USA (Kansas) Platecarpus coryphaeus, Platecarpus ictericus (118152)
Late/Upper Coniacian - Early/Lower Santonian89.3 - 83.5USA (Kansas) Platecarpus ictericus (215772)
Late/Upper Santonian85.8 - 83.5USA (Kansas) Platecarpus tympaniticus (118338)
Late/Upper Santonian - Early/Lower Campanian85.8 - 70.6USA (Mississippi) Platecarpus tympaniticus (type locality: 98972)
Campanian83.6 - 72.1USA (Wyoming) Platecarpus ictericus (107672 107675)
Campanian83.6 - 72.1USA (South Dakota) Platecarpus ictericus (107674 109761)
Early/Lower Campanian83.5 - 70.6Canada (Northwest Territories) Platecarpus ictericus (106328)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian70.6 - 66.0Spain (Burgos) Platecarpus ictericus (176782)