Brimosaurus
Encyclopedia
Brimosaurus is an extinct
genus
of plesiosaur
from the Late Cretaceous
of what is now Arkansas
. The type species
is Brancasaurus brancai, first named by Joseph Leidy
in 1854. The name Brimosaurus is a nomen dubium
: the fossils consist of only a few isolated vertebrae, and in 1952 Welles proposed that Brimosaurus was actually synonymous with Cimoliasaurus
(which itself is based on dubious material).
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of plesiosaur
Plesiosaur
Plesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
from the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
of what is now Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Brancasaurus brancai, first named by Joseph Leidy
Joseph Leidy
Joseph Leidy was an American paleontologist.Leidy was professor of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania, and later was a professor of natural history at Swarthmore College. His book Extinct Fauna of Dakota and Nebraska contained many species not previously described and many previously...
in 1854. The name Brimosaurus is a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
: the fossils consist of only a few isolated vertebrae, and in 1952 Welles proposed that Brimosaurus was actually synonymous with Cimoliasaurus
Cimoliasaurus
Cimoliasaurus was a plesiosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous to the Late Cretaceous in New Jersey, New Zealand, England, and France. It grew from 13 to 25 ft long.- References :...
(which itself is based on dubious material).
External links
- Brimosaurus from Oceans of Kansas