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Xinpusaurus Suni
''Xinpusaurus'' is an extinct genus of thalattosaur from the Late Triassic of Guanling in Guizhou, China. Several species have been named since 2000: the type species ''X. suni'' along with the species ''X. bamaolinensis'' and ''X. kohi''. A 2013 study proposed that all three species are synonymous with each other, in which case ''X. suni'' would be the only valid species, although a 2014 study argued that ''X. kohi'' was also valid. A fourth species, ''X. xingyiensis'', was described in 2016. Description ''Xinpusaurus'' is a thalattosaur, a group of triassic marine reptiles with long, paddle-like tails and short legs with independently movable digits. Specifically, it is a member of the group thalattosauroidea, which are characterized by their downturned premaxillae. ''Xinpusaurus'' had a short neck, a massive quadrate, and one of the few braincases preserved in thalattosaurs. The lower jaws of this genus show two different forms of dentary-surangular sutures, either a v-shaped ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carnian
The Carnian (less commonly, Karnian) is the lowermost stage of the Upper Triassic Series (or earliest age of the Late Triassic Epoch). It lasted from 237 to 227 million years ago (Ma). The Carnian is preceded by the Ladinian and is followed by the Norian. Its boundaries are not characterized by major extinctions or biotic turnovers, but a climatic event (known as the Carnian pluvial episode characterized by substantial rainfall) occurred during the Carnian and seems to be associated with important extinctions or biotic radiations. Stratigraphic definitions The Carnian was named in 1869 by Mojsisovics. It is unclear if it was named after the Carnic Alps or after the Austrian region of Carinthia (''Kärnten'' in German) or after the Carnia historical region in northwestern Italy. The name, however, was first used referring to a part of the Hallstatt Limestone cropping out in Austria. The base of the Carnian Stage is defined as the place in the stratigraphic record where t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radius (bone)
The radius or radial bone is one of the two large bones of the forearm, the other being the ulna. It extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist and runs parallel to the ulna. The ulna is usually slightly longer than the radius, but the radius is thicker. Therefore the radius is considered to be the larger of the two. It is a long bone, prism-shaped and slightly curved longitudinally. The radius is part of two joints: the elbow and the wrist. At the elbow, it joins with the capitulum of the humerus, and in a separate region, with the ulna at the radial notch. At the wrist, the radius forms a joint with the ulna bone. The corresponding bone in the lower leg is the fibula. Structure The long narrow medullary cavity is enclosed in a strong wall of compact bone. It is thickest along the interosseous border and thinnest at the extremities, same over the cup-shaped articular surface (fovea) of the head. The trabeculae of the spongy tissue are some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anshunsaurus Huangguoshuensis
''Anshunsaurus'' is a genus of thalattosaurs within the family Askeptosauridae. Fossils have been found from Middle Triassic deposits in Guizhou, China. Three species are known: the type species ''A. huangguoshuensis'' (named in 1999), the slightly older species ''A. wushaensis'' (named in 2006), and the species ''A. huangnihensis'' (named in 2007). Description and species ''Anshunsaurus'' was a marine reptile with a long neck, slender skull, and long, paddle-like tail. In comparison to its long trunk, the limbs are very small. ''Anshunsaurus'' is characterized by a long jugal bone in the skull, fused postorbital and postfrontal bones around the eyes, a maxilla that forms part of the margin of the eye socket, a humerus with large crests, and a large fibula. The type species of ''Anshunsaurus'', ''A. huangguoshuensis'', was named in 1999 from the Ladinian or Carnian age Falang Formation in Guanling County. Although several complete skeletons are known, most specimens are crushed i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endennasaurus Acutirostris
''Endennasaurus'' is an extinct genus of thalattosaurian from the Upper Triassic of Italy. It was found in and named after the Endenna cave, composed of Zorzino Limestone in Lombardia. at Fossilworks
Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database
The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ... .org
Gallery References Thalattosaurs[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miodentosaurus Brevis
''Miodentosaurus'' is a genus of thalattosaurian (a type of extinct marine reptile) from the Late Triassic of China. It is one of several thalattosaurs found in the Xiaowa Formation, also known as the Wayao Member of the Falang Formation. The genus name "''Miodentosaurus''" translates to "Few toothed-lizard" while the species name "''brevis''" means "short", in reference to its short snout. Description ''Miodentosaurus'' is a thalattosaur, a group of marine reptiles with long, paddle-like tails and short legs with independently movable digits. It was a large member of the group, with a complete specimen measuring long. ''Miodentosaurus'' is specifically an Askeptosauroid, a specific group of thalattosaurs with rather straight snouts. Despite being closely related to ''Askeptosaurus'' (a thalattosaur with a very long and toothy snout), ''Miodentosaurus'' had a quite short snout (shorter than the rest of the head) with only a few conical teeth on the premaxillae and dentaries. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Askeptosauroidea
Askeptosauroidea is a superfamily of thalattosaurs, a Triassic group of marine reptiles. Askeptosauroidea is one of two major subgroups of Thalattosauria, the other being Thalattosauroidea. It includes the family Askeptosauridae and a more basal form called ''Endennasaurus''. Phylogeny Below is a cladogram from Wu ''et al.'' (2009) showing the phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ... relationships of Askeptosauroidea: References Thalattosaurs Triassic first appearances Triassic extinctions {{triassic-reptile-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thalattosauria
Thalattosauria (Greek for "sea lizards") is an extinct order of prehistoric marine reptiles that lived in the middle to late Triassic period. Thalattosaurs were diverse in size and shape, and are divided into two superfamilies: Askeptosauroidea and Thalattosauroidea. Askeptosauroids were endemic to the Tethys Ocean, their fossils have been found in Europe and China, and they were likely semiaquatic fish eaters with straight snouts and decent terrestrial abilities. Thalattosauroids were more specialized for aquatic life and most had unusual downturned snouts and crushing dentition. Thalattosauroids lived along the coasts of both Panthalassa and the Tethys Ocean, and were most diverse in China and western North America. The largest species of thalattosaurs grew to over 4 meters (13 feet) in length, including a long, flattened tail utilized in underwater propulsion. Although thalattosaurs bore a superficial resemblance to lizards, their exact relationships are unresolved. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prolacerta Broomi
''Prolacerta'' is a genus of archosauromorph from the lower Triassic of South Africa and Antarctica. The only known species is ''Prolacerta broomi''. The generic name ''Prolacerta'' is derived from Latin meaning “before lizard” and its species name ''broomi'' is in commemoration of the famous paleontologist Robert Broom, who discovered and studied many of the fossils found in rocks of the Karoo Supergroup. When first discovered, ''Prolacerta'' was considered to be ancestral to modern lizards, scientifically known as lacertilians. However, a study by Gow (1975) instead found that it shared more similarities with the lineage that would lead to archosaurs such as crocodilians and dinosaurs (including birds). ''Prolacerta'' is considered by modern paleontologists to be among the closest relatives of the Archosauriformes. History of discovery ''Prolacerta'' was first described by Francis Rex Parrington in 1935 from a single skull recovered near the small town, Middelburg, in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Youngina Capensis
''Youngina'' is an extinct genus of diapsid reptile from the Late Permian Beaufort Group (''Tropidostoma''-''Dicynodon'' zones) of the Karoo Red Beds of South Africa. This, and a few related forms, make up the family Younginidae, within the Order Eosuchia (proposed by Broom in 1914). Eosuchia, having become a wastebasket taxon for many probably distantly-related primitive diapsid reptiles ranging from the Late Carboniferous to the Eocene, Romer proposed that it be replaced by Younginiformes (that included Younginidae and the Tangasauridae, ranging from the Permian to the Triassic). ''Youngina'' is known from several specimens. Many of these were attributed to as separate genera and species (such as ''Youngoides'' and ''Youngopsis''), but it was later realized that they were not distinct from ''Y. capensis''. The holotype specimen of ''Youngina'' was described briefly in 1914. The "''Youngoides romeri''" specimen was first attributed to ''Youngina'', but later given its eponymous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petrolacosaurus Kansensis
''Petrolacosaurus'' ("rock lake lizard") is an extinct genus of diapsid reptile from the late Carboniferous period. It was a small, long reptile, and the earliest known reptile with two temporal fenestrae (holes at the rear part of the skull). This means that it was at the base of Diapsida, the largest and most successful radiation of reptiles that would eventually include all modern reptile groups, as well as dinosaurs (which survive to the modern day as birds) and other famous extinct reptiles such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and pterosaurs. However, ''Petrolacosaurus'' itself was part of Araeoscelida, a short-lived early branch of the diapsid family tree which went extinct in the mid-Permian. Discovery The first ''Petrolacosaurus'' fossil was found in 1932 in Garnett, Kansas, by a field expedition from the University of Kansas Natural History Museum. The party consisted of Henry H. Lane, Claude Hibbard, David Dunkle, Wallace Lane, Louis Coghill, and Curtis Hesse. Unfortun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diapsida
Diapsids ("two arches") are a clade of sauropsids, distinguished from more primitive eureptiles by the presence of two holes, known as temporal fenestrae, in each side of their skulls. The group first appeared about three hundred million years ago during the late Carboniferous period. All diapsids other than the most primitive ones in the clade Araeoscelidia are sometimes placed into the clade Neodiapsida. The diapsids are extremely diverse, and include birds and all modern reptile groups, including turtles, which were historically thought to lie outside the group. Although some diapsids have lost either one hole (lizards), or both holes (snakes and turtles), or have a heavily restructured skull (modern birds), they are still classified as diapsids based on their ancestry. At least 17,084 species of diapsid animals are extant: 9,159 birds, and 7,925 snakes, lizards, tuatara, turtles, and crocodiles. Characteristics The name Diapsida means "two arches", and diapsids are tradition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cladogram
A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to descendants, nor does it show how much they have changed, so many differing evolutionary trees can be consistent with the same cladogram. A cladogram uses lines that branch off in different directions ending at a clade, a group of organisms with a last common ancestor. There are many shapes of cladograms but they all have lines that branch off from other lines. The lines can be traced back to where they branch off. These branching off points represent a hypothetical ancestor (not an actual entity) which can be inferred to exhibit the traits shared among the terminal taxa above it. This hypothetical ancestor might then provide clues about the order of evolution of various features, adaptation, and other evolutionary narratives about ance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
