Palaeos Vertebrates Ichthyosauria: Thunnosauria
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Ichthyosauria |
| Vertebrates | Thunnosauria |
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Abbreviated Dendrogram
DIAPSIDA |==Younginiformes `-+--+?--Thalattosauria | `--o Ichthyopterygia / ICHTHYOSAURIA | |--Utatsusaurus | `--+--Ichthyosauria | `--+--Merriamosauria | `--+--Euichthyosauria | `--+--Parvipelvia | |--Eurhinosauria | `--o Thunnosauria | |--Stenopterygius | `--+--Ichthyosaurus | `--Ophthalmosauria `--+--LEPIDOSAUROMORPHA `--ARCHOSAUROMORPHA |
Overview |
Thunnosauria:
Chacaicosaurus
Range: Late Triassic, but mostly Early Jurassic to middle Cretaceous
Phylogeny: Parvipelvia: Temnodontosaurus + Eurhinosauria + *: Stenopterygius + (Ichthyosaurus + Ophthalmosauria).
Characters: diapophyses & parapophyses round [S97]; diapophysis on anterior spine attaches to neural arch & moves down centrum to fuse with parapophysis in sacral vertebrae [S97]; parapophysis also moves ventrally, but not as much; caudal vertebrae with 1 articular facet [S97]; pubis & ischium rod-like [M97].
References: McGowan (1997) [M97]; Sander (1997) [S97].
Note: It will be disappointing if this turns out not to be a clade, since it is so aptly named. These are, indeed, the tuna-lizards. ATW020517.
Stenopterygius: S.
quadriscissus Quenstedt
Range: Early Jurassic to Middle Jurassic of Europe & South America.
Phylogeny: Thunnosauria: (Ichthyosaurus + Ophthalmosauria) + *.
Characters: to 2-3 m; generally similar to Ichthyosaurus; small head; see image for unusual structure of skull; exceptionally large orbit compared to size of head; dramatic overbite; narrow paddles (hence the name).
Image: fossil replica image from www.fossilien.de. Larger image and various close-ups at this site.
Links: Prehistoric
World Images - Stenopterygius - Jurassic reptile; Stenopterygius;
Stenopterygius
quadriscissus; Weight; Biology
356 (detail of forelimb); jurassic
images (another strikingly beautiful image from Doug Henderson); Dinosaurios:
Stenopterygius; Fossilienverkauf
(remarkable selection of photos); Gallery
of fossil amphibians, reptiles and birds; Bernstein,
Fossilien, Ammoniten, Repliken und vieles mehr zum Kaufen; Neuigkeiten
aus der Wissenschaft; Bilder
aus der 
Fossilien-Sammlung von Armin Bauer;
Ichthyosaur Stenopterygius quadriscissus
(fossil image); Stenopterygius ステノプテリギウス (model);
Dinowelt-Stenopterygius;
Ichthyosaurier Stenopterygius quadriscissus Quenstedt - ...
(fossil images); [스테노프테리기우스(Stenopterygius)]
(Korean: several good images); Gallery of fossil amphibians, reptiles and birds
(very nice, but tiny image); 標本解説 ステノプテリギュウス.
ATW020517.
Range: Late Triassic(!?) to Early Jurassic of Europe & North America. [C97a]
Phylogeny: Thunnosauria:: Ophthalmosauria + *.
Characters: ~2 m; jaws of equal length; maxilla relatively small [M97]; orbits enlarged [M97]; narrow posorbital region [M97]; pronounced dorsal fin; nares very close to orbits; polydactyly;
Links: Ichthyosaurus teunuirostris (Italian); No. 973: Owen's Ichthyosaurus; The Field Museum of Natural History Ichthyosaurus; Marine Reptiles: Ichthyosaur: Ichthyosaurus; Ichthyosaure - Reptile marin de l'Ere Secondaire; Dinosaurios: Ichthyosaurus; Hawkins 1834 - Page 14 - The Ichthyosaurus Chiroligostinus (not certain this is Ichthyosaurus itself, but an incredible site all the same).
References: Callaway (1997a) [C97a]; McGowan (1991) [M91]; McGowan (1997) [M97]. ATW020517.
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