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Microcleidus homalospondylus

Reptilia - Plesiosauria - Microcleididae

Taxonomy
Plesiosaurus homalospondylus was named by Owen (1865). Its type specimen is BMNH 36184 (lectotype of Lydekker 1889), a partial skeleton (skull and skeleton missing distal parts of limbs), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is 'Alum Shale' (Main Alum Shales, Harpoceras bifrons), Whitby-Saltwick, Yorkshire, which is in a Bifrons marine shale/mudstone in the Alum Shale Formation of the United Kingdom.

It was recombined as Microcleidus homalospondylus by Watson (1909), Persson (1963), Storrs (1997), O'Keefe (2001), Benson et al. (2012), Brown et al. (2013).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1865Plesiosaurus homalospondylus Owen pp. 12-20 figs. 5-8
1889Plesiosaurus homalospondylus Lydekker p. 253 fig. 78
1909Plesiosaurus homalospondylus Dollo p. 100
1909Microcleidus homalospondylus Watson p. 4 figs. 1-3
1963Microcleidus homalospondylus Persson pp. 19-20
1997Microcleidus homalospondylus Storrs p. 179
2001Microcleidus homalospondylus O'Keefe p. 14
2012Microcleidus homalospondylus Benson et al. fig. 4
2013Microcleidus homalospondylus Brown et al.

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
RankNameAuthor
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
—Diapsida()
suborderSauropterygia
orderPlesiosauriade Blainville 1835
superfamilyPlesiosauroideaWelles 1943
familyMicrocleididae
genusMicrocleidus
specieshomalospondylus(Owen 1865)

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

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Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Environment: marineo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: aquatico
Depth habitat: surfaceo
Diet: carnivoreo
Reproduction: viviparouso
Created: 2009-07-20 06:05:48
Modified: 2011-08-12 01:58:15
Source: o = order
Reference: Kiessling 2004

Age range: Bifrons or 182.00000 to 175.60000 Ma

Collections (3 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Falciferum - Bifrons183.0 - 175.6United Kingdom (England) Plesiosaurus homalospondylus (90459)
Bifrons182.0 - 175.6United Kingdom (England) Microcleidus homalospondylus (118829) Plesiosaurus homalospondylus (type locality: 118471)