Sapheosaurus

Sapheosaurus
Temporal range: Late JurassicKimmeridgian
[1]
Sapheosaurus thiollierei
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Sphenodontia
Family: Sapheosauridae †[2]
Genus: Sapheosaurus †
Species
  • S. thiollierei † Meyer, 1850[3]
  • S. laticeps † Wagner[3]

Sapheosaurus was an extinct genus of Late Jurassic sphenodont. Its skull was longer and narrower than that of Homoeosaurus.[3] It was classified as a genus of sapheosaur by Michael Benton in 1985.[2] It reached a length of 70 cm from snout to tail.[4]Sapheosaurus belongs to the clade Sapheosauridae, that also includes other taxa like Kallimodon. It is believed to be one of two aquatic sphenodont lineages, with Pleurosauridae being the other.[5][6]

TMH 3954, the holotype of S. laticeps (=Piocormus laticeps)

Species

Sapheosaurus laticeps (also known as Piocormus) differed from Sapheosaurus thiollierei by its smaller size and more vertebrae. S. thiollierei had 22 back and neck vertebrae, while S. laticeps had 26. Also, the two differ in relative limb length. S. laticeps lived in France and Germany.[3]

References

  1. ↑ BOULENGER, G. (1919). Sur le genre Sapheosaurus, Rhynchocephalien du Kiméridgien de Cerin. CR Acad. Sci. Paris, 605-607.
  2. 1 2 "The Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Geology; Lydekker, R. (1888). Catalogue of the Fossil Reptilia and Amphibia in the British Museum (Natural History): The orders Ornithosauria, Crocodilia, Dinosauria, Squamata, Rhynochocephalia, and Proterosauria. order of the Trustees. p. 292. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  4. ↑ "GenusSpecies Skull Height Length Weight Stage Ablepharus L". docstoc.com. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  5. ↑ Jones, Marc E.H. (2008). "Skull Shape and Feeding Strategy in Sphenodon and Other Rhynchocephalia (Diapsida: Lepidosauria". Journal of Morphology. 269: 945–966.
  6. ↑ Marc E. H. Jones, Skull shape and feeding strategy in Sphenodon and other Rhynchocephalia (Diapsida: Lepidosauria), Article in Journal of Morphology 269(8):945-66 · August 2008 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10634 · Source: PubMed


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