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| Morphology | Ecology and taphonomy | External Literature Search | Age range and collections |
Pachycostasaurus dawni
Taxonomy
Pachycostasaurus dawni was named by Cruickshank et al. (1996). Its type specimen is PETMG R338, a partial skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Kings Dyke Brick Pit, which is in a Callovian shallow subtidal claystone in the Oxford Clay Formation of the United Kingdom. It is the type species of Pachycostasaurus.
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Pachycostasaurus dawni Cruickshank et al. p. 874 figs. 1-5 |
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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.
†Pachycostasaurus dawni Cruickshank et al. 1996
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Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| A. R. I. Cruickshank et al. 1996 | Pliosaurid plesiosaur with five tooth pairs on the mandibular symphysis. Head about 20% of overall body length. Cervical vertebral count at least 13, with cervical centra shortened and with enlarged neural canal, but not heavily ossified except in the region of the neural spine. Cervical ribs much shortened and thickened; double headed. Pectoral centra triangular in outline. Dorsal vertebral centra heavily ossified, with indistinct subcentral foramina and flat anterior and posterior faces. Anterior and posterior zygapophyses reduced, neural spines thickened, with midline anterior and posterior excavations. Dorsal ribs thickened and pachyostotic, with concave heads, round cross-section and ‘sausage-like’ profile. Gastralia heavily ossified, pachyostotic. Humeri short and lightly constructed. Teeth stout and conical, of circular cross-section, and with prominent striae around entire crown. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: superf = superfamily, o = order | |||||
| References: Kiessling 2004, Hampe 2005 | |||||
Age range: Middle Callovian or 164.70000 to 161.20000 Ma
Collections: one only
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Callovian | United Kingdom (England) | Pachycostasaurus dawni (type locality: 92050) |