PBDB Taxon

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Placosaurus

Reptilia - Anguidae

Taxonomy

Placosaurus was named by Gervais (1852). Its type is Placosaurus rugosus.

It was assigned to Chamaelonidae by Hay (1930); to Glyptosaurini by Estes (1983); to Glyptosaurinae by McDowell and Bogert (1954) and Sullivan (1986); and to Anguidae by Hay (1902), Carroll (1988) and Alifanov (1993).

Species

P. cayluxi, P. estesi, P. europaeus, P. galliae, P. gaudryi, P. margariticeps, P. mongoliensis, P. ragei, P. rugosus (type species), P. waltheri

Synonyms

Placosaurus margariticeps was named by Gervais (1876). Its type specimen is [lost] (frontal) and is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Estes (1983) and Sullivan and Augé (2006).
Placosaurus waltheri was named by Weigelt (1929). Its type specimen is Geiseltal Museum, Pl 1 in Weigelt 1929, an osteoderm, and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Sullivan (1979) and Estes (1983).
Placosaurus galliae was named by Filhol (1894). Its type specimen is MNHN QU 16566, an osteoderm, and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Estes (1983).
Placosaurus gaudryi was named by De Stefano (1903). Its type specimen is MNHN QU 16567, a partial skull (occipital capsules), and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Estes (1983).
Propseudopus cayluxi was named by De Stefano (1903).

It was considered a nomen dubium by Rage (2006).
Placosaurus europaeus was named by Filhol (1876). Its type specimen is MNHN QU-16564 (right mandible) and is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Sullivan and Augé (2006).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1852	Placosaurus Gervais
1876	Placosaurus europaeus Filhol
1876	Placosaurus margariticeps Gervais
1894	Placosaurus galliae Filhol figs. 136-7
1902	Placosaurus Hay p. 474
1903	Placosaurus gaudryi De Stefano fig. 406
1903	Propseudopus cayluxi De Stefano
1929	Placosaurus waltheri Weigelt
1930	Placosaurus Hay p. 248
1954	Placosaurus McDowell and Bogert p. 130
1983	Placosaurus Estes
1986	Placosaurus Sullivan p. 110
1988	Placosaurus Carroll
1993	Placosaurus Alifanov p. 12

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

Rank	Name	Author
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
—	Squamata	()
—	Anguimorpha	(Fürbringer 1900)
—	Anguiformes	(Bonaparte 1831)
superfamily	Anguioidea	Fitzinger 1826
family	Anguidae	Gray 1825
subfamily	Glyptosaurinae	Marsh 1872
genus	Placosaurus

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. †Placosaurus Gervais 1852

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†Placosaurus estesi Sullivan and Augé 2006

†Placosaurus mongoliensis Sullivan 1979

†Placosaurus ragei Sullivan et al. 2012

†Placosaurus rugosus Gervais 1852

Invalid names: Placosaurus cayluxi De Stefano 1903 [nomen dubium], Placosaurus europaeus Filhol 1876 [nomen dubium], Placosaurus galliae Filhol 1894 [nomen dubium], Placosaurus gaudryi De Stefano 1903 [nomen dubium], Placosaurus margariticeps Gervais 1876 [nomen dubium], Placosaurus waltheri Weigelt 1929 [nomen dubium]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

terrestrialsubf

Locomotion:

actively mobilec

Life habit:

ground dwellingsubf

Diet:

insectivoref

Diet 2:

carnivoref

Created:

2005-09-23 14:40:23

Modified:

2005-09-23 16:40:23

Source: subf = subfamily, f = family, c = class, subp = subphylum

References: Head 2005, Carroll 1988, Behler and King 1979, Hendy et al. 2009

Age range: base of the MP 10 to the top of the Late/Upper Eocene or 55.80000 to 33.90000 Ma

Collections (25 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Ypresian	56.0 - 47.8	Belgium (Brabant)	Placosaurus indet., P. ragei (35531)
Ypresian	56.0 - 47.8	France (Oise)	P. sp. (68174)
MP 10	55.8 - 48.6	Spain (Huesca)	P. sp. (187315)
Lutetian	47.8 - 41.3	Germany (Sachsen-Anhalt)	P. waltheri (13322)
Middle Eocene	47.8 - 37.71	China (Nei Mongol)	P. mongoliensis (176020)
Bartonian	41.3 - 38.0	France (Languedoc-Roussillon Region)	P. sp. (31736 183350)
Bartonian	41.3 - 38.0	France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees Region)	P. sp. (12840)
Priabonian	38.0 - 33.9	France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees Region)	P. sp. (12841 12842 12843 12849 12852 12854 31764 31766) P. sp., P. rugosus (31745)
Priabonian	38.0 - 33.9	France (Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur Region)	P. rugosus (31747)
Priabonian	38.0 - 33.9	France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees region)	P. sp. (12848 12853)
Late/Upper Eocene	37.2 - 33.9	France (Quercy)	P. sp., P. quercyi (12850)
Late/Upper Eocene	37.2 - 33.9	France (Occitanie)	P. sp. (183976)
MP 18	37.2 - 33.9	France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees Region)	P. sp. (12851)
MP 19	37.2 - 33.9	France (Quercy, Midi-Pyrenees Region)	P. sp. (12846)
Late/Upper Eocene - Early/Lower Miocene	37.2 - 15.97	France (Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées)	P. sp., P. rugosus (179194)