Microcleididae
| Microcleidids | |
|---|---|
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| Microcleidus homalospondylus skeleton (NHMUK PV OR 36184) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
| Order: | †Plesiosauria |
| Superfamily: | †Plesiosauroidea |
| Family: | †Microcleididae Benson, Evans & Druckenmiller, 2012 |
| Genera | |
Microcleididae is an
plesiosauroid plesiosaurs from the Early Jurassic (middle Sinemurian to late Toarcian stages) of France, Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Currently, the oldest and the most known microcleidid is Eretmosaurus from the middle Sinemurian of the United Kingdom. Microcleididae was formally named and described by Roger B. J. Benson, Mark Evans and Patrick S. Druckenmiller in 2012.[1][2]
History and Phylogeny
Großman (2007) referred informally to "microcleidid
elasmosaurs", a clade comprising the three taxa referred to the Microcleididae by Benson et al. (2012). Ketchum and Benson (2010) found the traditional "microcleidid" genera to nest within a monophyletic Plesiosauridae, in a close position to Plesiosaurus.[3] However, Ketchum and Benson (2011) performed a phylogenetic analysis which found a monospecific Plesiosauridae, and a monophyletic Microcleididae.[4] Smith et al. (in press) described a new "microcleidid" Lusonectes, and obtained similar results in a different phylogenetic analysis.[2] However, the family has not formally been erected until Benson et al. (2012) also found the same results in their analysis.[1]
To avoid further confusion between Plesiosauridae and Microcleididae, Benson et al. (2012) proposed a
neural arch, medial surface of the iliac blade anteroposteriorly concave and a prominent flange extends anteriorly from the proximal half of the radius. This analysis focused on basal plesiosaurs and therefore only one derived pliosaurid and one cryptoclidian were included while elasmosaurids weren't included at all. The cladogram below follows the topology from Benson et al. (2012) analysis.[1]
Plesiosauria
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References
- ^ PMID 22438869.
- ^ S2CID 55764533.
- S2CID 12193439.
- ^ Hilary F. Ketchum; Roger B. J. Benson (2011). "A new pliosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of England: evidence for a gracile, longirostrine grade of Early-Middle Jurassic pliosaurids". Special Papers in Palaeontology. 86: 109–129.
