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Kaiwhekea katiki

Reptilia - Plesiosauria - Elasmosauridae

Taxonomy
Kaiwhekea katiki was named by Cruickshank and Fordyce (2002). Its type specimen is OU 12649, a partial skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Shag Point, which is in a Haumurian deltaic siltstone in the Katiki Formation of New Zealand.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
2002Kaiwhekea katiki Cruickshank and Fordyce pp. 563-568 figs. 2-6
2015Kaiwhekea katiki Otero et al. p. 3
2019Kaiwhekea katiki O'Gorman
2019Kaiwhekea katiki O'Gorman et al.
2024Kaiwhekea katiki Robinson et al. p. 574

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
RankNameAuthor
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
—Diapsida()
suborderSauropterygia
orderPlesiosauriade Blainville 1835
superfamilyPlesiosauroideaWelles 1943
familyElasmosauridaeCope 1869
—Weddellonectia
genusKaiwhekea
specieskatiki

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.

†Kaiwhekea katiki Cruickshank and Fordyce 2002
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
A. R. I. Cruickshank and R. E. Fordyce 2002"Large cryptoclidid plesiosauroid differing from described cryptoclidids in the following features: jugal bar exceptionally deep; jugal apparently large and subtriangular; lack of cheek bar excavation; orbit anteriorly placed; postorbital region relatively long; tooth count of premaxilla 7, maxilla 36+, dentary 42+; cervical vertebral count 43; anterior cervical centra widened and bilobed in anterior view, with lobes separated by ventral notch. Differs from Tricleidus in lack of cheek bar excavation; deep cheek bar; increased number of premaxillary and maxillary teeth; highly regular teeth with reduced ornament; increased number of cervical vertebrae; large body size. Further, differs from Morturneria and Aristonectes in having fewer teeth; from Morturneria in apparently lacking extremely long pineal opening and lacking far forward development of parietals; and from Aristonectes in shallower excavation of lower margin of cheek bar, and fewer premaxillary and dentary teeth."
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: Haumurian or 83.60000 to 66.00000 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Haumurian83.6 - 66.0New Zealand (South Island) Kaiwhekea katiki (type locality: 104692)