''Gracilineustes'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of marine

crocodyliform Crocodyliformes is a clade of crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the only pseudo ...

that lived in the oceans during the Middle to

Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...

. ''Gracilineustes'' was a

carnivore A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

that spent much, if not all, its life out at sea. It measured about long and weighed .

Discovery and species

Fossil specimens referrable to ''Gracilineustes'' are known from Middle-Late Jurassic deposits of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.Young, Mark T., Brusatte, Stephen L., Ruta, M., Andrade, Marco B. 2009. "The evolution of Metriorhynchoidea (Mesoeucrocodylia, Thalattosuchia): an integrated approach using geometrics morphometrics, analysis of disparity and biomechanics". ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 158: 801-859.

Valid species

*''G. leedsi'': Western Europe (England) of the Middle Jurassic (Callovian); ''Metriorhynchus laeve'' is a junior synonym. *''G. acutus'': Western Europe (France) of the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian)

References

Late Jurassic crocodylomorphs of Europe Middle Jurassic crocodylomorphs Prehistoric pseudosuchian genera Prehistoric marine crocodylomorphs Fossil taxa described in 2010 Middle Jurassic genus first appearances Late Jurassic extinctions Thalattosuchians Oxford Clay {{jurassic-reptile-stub