Cymbospondylidae is an extinct
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of
Hueneosaurian
Ichthyosaurs
Ichthyosaurs (Ancient Greek for "fish lizard" – and ) are large extinct marine reptiles. Ichthyosaurs belong to the order known as Ichthyosauria or Ichthyopterygia ('fish flippers' – a designation introduced by Sir Richard Owen in 1842, alt ...
known from the
Middle Triassic
In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided in chronostratigraphy. The Middle Triassic spans the time between Ma and ...
of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
.
Taxonomy
Cymbospondylidae is a
basal clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
of
ichthyosaur
Ichthyosaurs (Ancient Greek for "fish lizard" – and ) are large extinct marine reptiles. Ichthyosaurs belong to the order known as Ichthyosauria or Ichthyopterygia ('fish flippers' – a designation introduced by Sir Richard Owen in 1842, altho ...
s. In 2000, Maischand and Matzke recovered cymbospondylids as members of
Hueneosauria and more derived than
mixosaurids,
but Ji and colleagues found cymbospondylids to be outside of Hueneosauria in 2015.
These two studies defined the group in two different ways, with the former defining it as the least inclusive clade containing both ''
Cymbospondylus petrinus'' and ''
Phantomosaurus neubigi'', whereas the latter defined it as the least inclusive clade containing both ''
Cymbospondylus piscosus
''Cymbospondylus'' (a Greek word meaning "boat vertebrae") was a basal early ichthyosaur that lived between the early and middle Triassic period (249-237 million years ago). Previously, the genus was classified as a shastasaurid, but more rec ...
'' and ''
Xinminosaurus catactes
''Xinminosaurus'' is an extinct genus of cymbospondylid ichthyosaur known from the Middle Triassic (mid-late Anisian stage) of Guizhou Province, China.
Etymology
The generic name is derived from ''Xinmin'', the district where the fossil was ...
''.
References
Middle Triassic ichthyosaurs
Late Triassic ichthyosaurs
Prehistoric reptile families
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