Mollesaurus
Name:
Mollesaurus
(Molles lizard - After the formation where it was found).
Phonetic: Mol-le-sore-us.
Named By: Marta S. Fern�ndez - 1999.
Synonyms: Ophthalmosaurus periallus.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Ichthyosauria, Ophthalmosauridae, Ophthalmosaurinae.
Species: M. periallus (type).
Diet: Piscivore, possibly a specialist in squid
and belemnites.
Size: Uncertain.
Known locations: Argentina, Patagonia - Los
Molles Formation.
Time period: Bajocian of the Jurassic.
Fossil representation: Partial skull and vertebrae.
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 E. Maxwell identified key differences between the partial
skull then identified as O. periallus and other Ophthalmosaurus
fossils. Further study, including some involving Maisch, has
since reinforced the opinion that Mollesaurus
fossil material is indeed
representative of a distinct genus.
Aside
from being resurrected as a different genus, Mollesaurus
currently
stands out from other ophthalmosaurids as possibly being the first
member of the group to exist. As such Mollesaurus
probably had a
similar lifestyle and behaviour to other ophthalmosaurids which saw it
diving deep to hunt prey like squid and belmenites that would have been
more abundant in the lower depths. Unfortunately it is harder to say
for certain it the presence of Mollesaurus in
Patagonia hints at a
South American origin for the ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs since as
pelagic (open ocean) animals, they would have likely had a
massive geographical range in order to take full advantage of the
available prey which would not have been restricted to just one area of
the world.
Further reading
- A new ichthyosaur from the
Los Molles Formation (Early Bajocian), Neuquen Basin, Argentina. -
Journal of Paleontology 73(4):677-681. - M. S. Fernandez - 1999.
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