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

Colymbosaurus trochanterius

Reptilia - Plesiosauria - Cryptoclididae

Taxonomy
Plesiosaurus trochanterius was named by Owen (1840). Its type specimen is BMNH 31787, a limb element (humerus), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Shotover Hill, Kimmeridge Clay, which is in a Tithonian marine claystone in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation of the United Kingdom.

It was recombined as Pliosaurus trochanterius by Owen (1842) and Owen (1869); it was recombined as Cimoliosaurus trochanterius by Lydekker (1889); it was recombined as Colymbosaurus trochanterius by Delair (1960), Brown (1981), Brown (1984) and Knutsen et al. (2012).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1840Plesiosaurus trochanterius Owen pp. 85-86
1842Pliosaurus trochanterius Owen p. 64
1869Cimoliosaurus biangulatus Cope p. 56
1869Cimoliosaurus triangulatus Cope p. 56
1869Pliosaurus trochanterius Owen p. 7 figs. plate 3
1869Pliosaurus portlandicus Owen pp. 8-12 figs. Plate 4, figs 1-3
1869Plesiosaurus megadeirus Seeley pp. 97, 100-101, 121
1870Plesiosaurus biangulatus Cope
1870Plesiosaurus manselii Hulke pp. 612-622 figs. Pl. 41, figs. 1-6
1874Colymbosaurus megadeirus Seeley pp. 445, 447 fig. 12
1874Muraenosaurus manselii Seeley p. 448
1889Cimoliosaurus trochanterius Lydekker p. 190 figs. 60, 62-65
1889Cimoliosaurus portlandicus Lydekker p. 227
1960Colymbosaurus portlandicus Delair p. 62
1960Colymbosaurus manseli Delair p. 63
1960Colymbosaurus trochanterius Delair p. 64
1981Colymbosaurus trochanterius Brown p. 314 figs. 40, 43e, 44f
1984Colymbosaurus trochanterius Brown p. 170
2012Colymbosaurus trochanterius Knutsen et al. p. 178

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
RankNameAuthor
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
—Diapsida()
suborderSauropterygia
orderPlesiosauriade Blainville 1835
superfamilyPlesiosauroideaWelles 1943
familyCryptoclididaeWilliston 1925
genusColymbosaurus
speciestrochanterius()

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
Invalid names: Colymbosaurus megadeirus Seeley 1869 [synonym], Plesiosaurus manselii Hulke 1870 [synonym], Pliosaurus portlandicus Owen 1869 [synonym]
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: base of the Bathonian to the top of the Early/Lower Tithonian or 168.30000 to 145.00000 Ma

Collections (11 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Bathonian168.3 - 166.1United Kingdom (Scotland) Colymbosaurus megadeirus (105872)
Callovian166.1 - 163.5United Kingdom (England) Plesiosaurus trochanterius (130656)
Kimmeridgian157.3 - 152.1United Kingdom (England) Colymbosaurus megadeirus (119509)
Kimmeridgian - Early/Lower Tithonian157.3 - 145.0United Kingdom (England) Colymbosaurus trochanterius (119506 119507)
Early/Lower Kimmeridgian155.7 - 150.8United Kingdom (England) Colymbosaurus megadeirus (119508)
Late/Upper Kimmeridgian155.7 - 150.8United Kingdom (England) Plesiosaurus manselii (119504)
Tithonian152.1 - 145.0France (Nord-Pas-de-Calais) Cimoliosaurus portlandicus (65030)
Tithonian152.1 - 145.0United Kingdom (England) Plesiosaurus trochanterius (type locality: 98478)
Early/Lower Tithonian150.8 - 145.0United Kingdom (England) Colymbosaurus trochanterius (150922)
Late/Upper Tithonian150.8 - 145.0United Kingdom (England) Pliosaurus portlandicus, Colymbosaurus portlandicus (119505)