Wapuskanectes
Encyclopedia
Wapuskanectes is an extinct genus
of elasmosaurid known from the Alberta
of Canada
.
TMP
98.49.02, articulate
d partial postcrania
l skeleton
, including an almost complete pectoral girdle. It was collected in the western side of the Syncrude Base Mine near Ft. McMurray, from the Wabiskaw Member of the Clearwater Formation
, dating to the earliest Albian
stage of the Early Cretaceous
, about 112 million years ago. Wapuskanectes is the oldest North American elasmosaurid to date.
and the type species
is Wapuskanectes betsynichollsae. The generic name is derived from Wapuska, Cree language
for "a body of water with whitecaps on it" and also it is the etymology of the Wabiskaw Member, in which the holotype was found, and nectes, Greek
for "swimmer". The specific name honors the late Dr. Elizabeth "Betsy" Nicholls, curator of marine reptiles at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
, for enduring influence on research in Mesozoic marine vertebrates.
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 elasmosaurid known from the Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Description
Wapuskanectes is known from the holotypeHolotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
TMP
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
The Royal Tyrrell Museum is a popular Canadian tourist attraction and a leading centre of palaeontological research noted for its collection of more than 130,000 fossils....
98.49.02, articulate
Articulate
Articulate may refer to:*Articulate *Articulate sign*Articulate sound*Joint, also known as articulation*Word modified by an article...
d partial postcrania
Postcrania
Postcrania[p] in zoology and vertebrate paleontology refers to all or part of the skeleton apart from the skull. Frequently, fossil remains, e.g...
l skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
, including an almost complete pectoral girdle. It was collected in the western side of the Syncrude Base Mine near Ft. McMurray, from the Wabiskaw Member of the Clearwater Formation
Clearwater Formation
The Clearwater Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Albian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.It takes the name from Clearweater River. The formation is exposed on the banks of the Athabasca River between Brule Falls and Boiler Falls, as well as along the Christina River, a tributary...
, dating to the earliest Albian
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
stage of the Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
, about 112 million years ago. Wapuskanectes is the oldest North American elasmosaurid to date.
Etymology
Wapuskanectes was first named by Patrick S. Druckenmiller and Anthony P. Russell in 20062006 in paleontology
-Insects:-Tetrapodomorphs:-Newly named temnospondylians:-Newly named amphibians:-Ichthyosaurs:-Newly named basal lepidosauromorphs:-Newly named plesiosaurs:-Newly named squamates:-Newly named crurotarsans:-Newly named dinosaurs:...
and 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 Wapuskanectes betsynichollsae. The generic name is derived from Wapuska, Cree language
Cree language
Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
for "a body of water with whitecaps on it" and also it is the etymology of the Wabiskaw Member, in which the holotype was found, and nectes, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for "swimmer". The specific name honors the late Dr. Elizabeth "Betsy" Nicholls, curator of marine reptiles at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
The Royal Tyrrell Museum is a popular Canadian tourist attraction and a leading centre of palaeontological research noted for its collection of more than 130,000 fossils....
, for enduring influence on research in Mesozoic marine vertebrates.