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Shonisaurus

Reptilia - Shastasauridae

Taxonomy
Shonisaurus was named by Camp (1976) [Sepkoski's age data: Tr Carn Tr Nori Sepkoski's reference number: 746,1066]. It is not extant.

It was assigned to Merriamosauria by Maisch and Matzke (2000); to Ichthyosauria by Sepkoski (2002); to Shonisauridae by Maisch (2010); to Shastasauridae by Carroll (1988), Sander (2000), McGowan and Motani (2003), Nicholls and Manabe (2004) and Ji et al. (2013); and to Shastasaurinae by Motani (1999) and Ji et al. (2016).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1976Shonisaurus Camp
1976Shonisaurus mulleri Camp
1976Shonisaurus silberlingi Camp
1988Shonisaurus Carroll
1993Shonisaurus silberlingi Mazin and Sander
1999Shonisaurus Motani p. 480
2000Shonisaurus Maisch and Matzke pp. 69, 97
2000Shonisaurus Sander
2002Shonisaurus Sepkoski
2003Shonisaurus McGowan and Motani
2004Shonisaurus Nicholls and Manabe p. 839
2010Shonisaurus Maisch
2013Shonisaurus Ji et al.
2016Shonisaurus Ji et al. p. 10

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Life
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
RankNameAuthor
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
Diapsida()
Ichthyosauromorpha
Ichthyosauriformes
Ichthyopterygia(Owen 1840)
Eoichthyosauria
Ichthyosauria(de Blainville 1835)
Hueneosauria
Merriamosauria
familyShastasauridaeMerriam 1902
genusShonisaurusCamp 1976

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.

G. †Shonisaurus Camp 1976
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Shonisaurus popularis Camp 1976
Invalid names: Shonisaurus mulleri Camp 1976 [nomen dubium], Shonisaurus silberlingi Camp 1976 [nomen dubium]
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
R. Motani 1999Dorsal centra three times as high as long; very large, reaching 15 m in total length.
M. W. Maisch and A. T. Matzke 2000"Very large ichthyosaur, adult length exceeds 12 m, very long but robust snout, foramen parietale between frontal and parietal, coronoid very large, basioccipital with strongly convex condyle, fore- and hindfins essentially tridactyl, ulna very small in relation to radius, intermedium probably lost, scapula rather long and slender with reduced anterior and posterior extensions, thoracal and caudal vertebral centra very high, thoracals more that three times as high as long."
E. L. Nicholls and M. Manabe 2004"Extremely large shastasaurids, reaching 15–21 m in length; rib ends distally expanded into swollen knobs; teeth set in sockets, but present only in juveniles; dentition reduced or absent in adults."
C. Ji et al. 2016Over 15 m long in adult; radius and ulna contiguous shaft present; ulna remarkably longer than wide; radioulnar foramen present; fibular posterior flange present.
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 Tuvalian to the top of the Rhaetian or 232.00000 to 201.30000 Ma

Collections (3 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Tuvalian232.0 - 221.5Italy (Belluno) S. popularis (99311)
Lacian221.5 - 215.56USA (Nevada) S. popularis, S. mulleri, S. silberlingi (102368)
Rhaetian208.5 - 201.3Germany (Westphalia) S. sp. (218156)