Pantosaurus is an
extinctIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or group of taxa. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species...
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of
plesiosaurA plesiosaur was a type of carnivorous aquatic reptile. After their discovery, plesiosaurs were somewhat fancifully said to have resembled "a snake threaded through the shell of a turtle", although they had no shell...
from the
Late JurassicThe Late Jurassic epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago, which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata. In European lithostratigraphy, the name Malm indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age...
(
OxfordianThe Oxfordian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the earliest age of the Late Jurassic epoch, or the lowest stage of the Upper Jurassic series. It spans the time between 161.2 ± 4 Ma and 155.7 ± 4 Ma...
) of what is now
WyomingWyoming is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high elevation prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest...
. It lived in what used to be the
Sundance SeaThe Sundance Sea was an epeiric sea that existed in North America during the mid to late Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era. It was an arm of what is now the Arctic Ocean, and extended through what is now western Canada into the central western United States...
. The species
Muraenosaurus reedii Muraenosaurus is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile, from the Middle Jurassic of Europe. Fossils have been found in England and France....
is in fact a junior synonym of
Pantosaurus
Pantosaurus possesses between 35 and 40 cervical vertebrae, which are very similar in proportion and morphology to those of
Muraenosaurus leedsiiMuraenosaurus is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile, from the Middle Jurassic of Europe. Fossils have been found in England and France....
from the Oxford Clay Formation (
CallovianIn the geologic timescale, the Callovian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic, lasting between 164.7 ± 4.0 Ma and 161.2 ± 4.0 Ma. It is the last stage of the Middle Jurassic, following the Bathonian and preceding the Oxfordian....
,
Middle JurassicThe Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from 176-161 million years ago. In European lithostratigraphy, rocks of this Middle Jurassic age age called the Dogger...
) of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The forelimb of
Pantosaurus however can be differentiated from that of
Muraenosaurus, such as the relatively large size of the radius and the corresponding humerus-radius articulation.
Discussion
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Pantosaurus is an
extinctIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or group of taxa. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species...
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of
plesiosaurA plesiosaur was a type of carnivorous aquatic reptile. After their discovery, plesiosaurs were somewhat fancifully said to have resembled "a snake threaded through the shell of a turtle", although they had no shell...
from the
Late JurassicThe Late Jurassic epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago, which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata. In European lithostratigraphy, the name Malm indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age...
(
OxfordianThe Oxfordian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the earliest age of the Late Jurassic epoch, or the lowest stage of the Upper Jurassic series. It spans the time between 161.2 ± 4 Ma and 155.7 ± 4 Ma...
) of what is now
WyomingWyoming is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high elevation prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest...
. It lived in what used to be the
Sundance SeaThe Sundance Sea was an epeiric sea that existed in North America during the mid to late Jurassic Period of the Mesozoic Era. It was an arm of what is now the Arctic Ocean, and extended through what is now western Canada into the central western United States...
. The species
Muraenosaurus reedii Muraenosaurus is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile, from the Middle Jurassic of Europe. Fossils have been found in England and France....
is in fact a junior synonym of
Pantosaurus
Palaeobiology
Pantosaurus possesses between 35 and 40 cervical vertebrae, which are very similar in proportion and morphology to those of
Muraenosaurus leedsiiMuraenosaurus is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile, from the Middle Jurassic of Europe. Fossils have been found in England and France....
from the Oxford Clay Formation (
CallovianIn the geologic timescale, the Callovian is an age or stage in the Middle Jurassic, lasting between 164.7 ± 4.0 Ma and 161.2 ± 4.0 Ma. It is the last stage of the Middle Jurassic, following the Bathonian and preceding the Oxfordian....
,
Middle JurassicThe Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from 176-161 million years ago. In European lithostratigraphy, rocks of this Middle Jurassic age age called the Dogger...
) of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The forelimb of
Pantosaurus however can be differentiated from that of
Muraenosaurus, such as the relatively large size of the radius and the corresponding humerus-radius articulation. No
Pantosaurus cranial material has yet been discovered.