In Depth Although named in 1999, Mollesaurus got declared as a synonym to Ophthalmosaurus in the following year by a review of the Ophthalmosaurus genus by palaeontologists Michael W. Maisch and Andreas T. Matzke in 2000. This conclusion remained for about ten years until 2010 when a further study by Patrick S. Druckenmiller and Erin … Read more
In Depth Although very small by ichthyosaur standards, Mixosaurus is one of the most important entries in the fossil record regarding the evolution of the ichthyosaur group of marine reptiles. This is because it is seen as a transitory form between what are termed the eel-like primitive forms like Cymbospondylus and dolphin-like advanced ichthyosaurs like … Read more
In Depth Parrassaurus is a genus of ichthyosaur that lived in waters around Mexico during the late Jurassic. Further reading - A new Tithonian ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from Coahuila in northeastern Mexico. - Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.. - Jair Israel Barrientos & Jes�s Alvarado-Ortega - 2021.
In Depth Originally described as a species of Ophthalmosaurus (O. chrisorum) a 2010 study saw the specimens elevated to the level of a distinct genus of ichthyosaur. Arthropterygius was also considered to be similar to Caypullisaurus, but not all researchers have followed this and instead treat Arthropterygius as a basal (primitive) member of the Ophthalmosauridae. … Read more
In Depth Acuetzpalin is a genus of ichthyosaur that lived in waters around what is now central America during the late Jurassic. Further Reading - Acuetzpalin carranzai gen et sp. nov. A new ophthalmosauridae (Ichthyosauria) from the Upper Jurassic of Durango, North Mexico. - Journal of South American Earth Sciences. - J. I. Barrientos-Lara, J. … Read more
In Depth Nannopterygius was first described in 1871 by John Hulke, but as a species of Ichthyosaurus, I. enthekiodon. However, the Ichthyosaurus genus was once treated as a wastebasket taxon, and many former species of Ichthyosaurus have now been re-assigned as distinct genera. This is what happened later in the early twentieth century when another … Read more
In Depth Originally named as a species of Icthyosaurus by Wagner in 1853, Aegirosaurus was raised as a distinct genus by Bardet & Fernandez some one hundred and forty-seven years later. This is in part down to the wastebasket taxon effect, a common practice in the nineteenth century that saw similar prehistoric animals grouped together … Read more
In Depth Sisteronia is a genus of ophtahlmosaurid ichthyosaur that lived in European seas during the end of the early Cretaceous to perhaps into the early part of the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - High diversity in Cretaceous ichthyosaurs from Europe prior to their extinction. - PLoS ONE 9(1):e84709. - V. Fischer, N. Bardet, M. … Read more
In Depth Originally discovered in 1951, the holotype fossil of Wahlisaurus was not officially described until sixty-five years later in 2016. Wahlisaurus is a leptonectid ichthyosaur noted for having a very long snout. Other ichthyosaurs similar to Wahlisaurus include Leptonectes, Eurhinosaurus and Excalibosaurus. Further Reading - A new leptonectid ichthyosaur from the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian) … Read more
In Depth Body features, swimming and feeding behaviour Shonisaurus is a firm favourite amongst researchers of marine reptiles, not just because of its large size but because it is known from so many remains, best known from the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Nevada, USA. These represent individuals of all ages and also reveal a rather … Read more