Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Protoichthyosaurus prostaxalis

Reptilia - Ichthyosauridae

Taxonomy
Protoichthyosaurus prostaxalis was named by Appleby (1979) [Holotype from the Lower Liassic, Moore Collection, Bath City Museum and Library]. Its type specimen is B. 1963'5/O.S. and is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Street (general), which is in a Hettangian shallow subtidal limestone/shale in the Blue Lias Formation of the United Kingdom.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1979Protoichthyosaurus prostaxalis Appleby p. 942
2017Protoichthyosaurus prostaxalis Lomax et al.

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
RankNameAuthor
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
—Diapsida()
—Ichthyosauromorpha
—Ichthyosauriformes
—Ichthyopterygia(Owen 1840)
—Eoichthyosauria
—Ichthyosauria(de Blainville 1835)
—Thunnosauria
familyIchthyosauridaeBonaparte 1841
genusProtoichthyosaurus
speciesprostaxalis

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.

show all | hide all
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
R. M. Appleby 1979"A member of the genus Protoichthyosaurus in which all the individuals of the species have a left or right limb with three distal carpals. In some individuals the opposite limb is in almost the same condition. Finger-splitting in phalanges on radial side of limb. The limbs with least finger-splitting have more notches on leading edge ossicles. One or two ulnar sesamoids. Skull latipinnate-like but orbits smaller than in longipinnatoids. Ratio of distance between tip of snout and anterior tip of maxilla to length of jaw intermediate between latipinnatoids and longipinnatoids. Limbs and girdles of latipinnatoid aspect but with considerable variation of the distal end of the stem of the interclavicle. Humeri similar to Ichthyosaurs intermedius in proportion of distal breadth to length, but with smaller range of variation."
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Environment: marineo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: nektonico
Diet: carnivoreo
Reproduction: viviparouso
Created: 2009-07-20 06:07:40
Modified: 2010-02-23 00:20:57
Source: o = order
Reference: Kiessling 2004

Age range: base of the Hettangian to the top of the Early/Lower Hettangian or 201.30000 to 196.50000 Ma

Collections (2 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Early/Lower Hettangian201.3 - 196.5United Kingdom (England) Protoichthyosaurus prostaxalis (type locality: 119083)
Hettangian - Pliensbachian201.3 - 182.7United Kingdom (England) Protoichthyosaurus prostaxalis (98151)