Muiscasaurus

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Muiscasaurus
Temporal range:
Ma[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Sauropsida
Subclass:
Diapsida
Order:
†Ichthyosauria
Family:
†Ophthalmosauridae
Genus:
†Muiscasaurus

Maxwell et al., 2015
Type species
†Muiscasaurus catheti
Maxwell et al., 2015

Muiscasaurus is an extinct

Ichthyosaur that lived in modern Colombia during the Early Cretaceous. The only known species is the type Muiscasaurus catheti.[2]

Discovery

The fossils of Muiscasaurus were found in the

ammonites were found attached to the fossils, their poor preservation prevented identifying them and thereby establish the stratigraphy and precise age of the specimen. The fossil found, listed as the holotype specimen CIP-FCG-CBP-74, consists of a partial skull and some vertebrae with ribs that were found associated with the skull. These remains were designated in 2015 as the new genus and species Muiscasaurus catheti; the genus name being a reference to the Muisca of central Colombia, with the Latinized Greek word saurus, "reptile". The species name, catheti, means perpendicular and refers to the shape of the nostrils. The remains were prepared for the Centro de Investigaciones Paleontológicas (Paleontological Research Center) in Villa de Leyva.[2]

Description

The Muiscasaurus fossils corresponds to a juvenile individual, given the incomplete ossification of the vertebrae and the proportions of the skull. This lacks the front of the snout, as well as in the back of the skull, showing some crushing to the right side. The jaw elements are very thin and long, with some teeth preserved, which are relatively small. Muiscasaurus was a relatively large animal: the preserved skull length is 45 centimetres (18 in), and, depending on its exact proportions, could be between 48–65 centimetres (19–26 in) total cranial length.

streamlined body, with a tail shaped like a half moon and all four legs transformed into flippers.[3]

Muiscasaurus differs from its closest relatives by a combination of features: it had a very thin

enamel.[2]

Phylogeny

Muiscasaurus was described based on fossils that were classified as belonging to the Ophthalmosauridae family, which includes most of the ichthyosaurs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Muiscasaurus seems particularly occupied a very basal position within the family, with respect to the subgroup composed by Platypterygius, Caypullisaurus and Brachypterygius (although the latter two genera were slightly older than Muiscasaurus itself) .[2]

phylogenetic analysis
of Maxwell et al., 2015:

Ophthalmosauridae

The following cladogram shows a possible phylogenetic position of Muiscasaurus in Ophthalmosauridae according to the analysis performed by Zverkov and Jacobs (2020).[4]

Ophthalmosauria
Ophthalmosaurinae
Platypterygiinae

Brachypterygius extremus

Aegirosaurus leptospondylus

Muiscasaurus catheti

Leninia stellans

Sveltonectes insolitus

Athabascasaurus bitumineus

Platypterygius americanus

Acuetzpalin carranzai

Platypterygius sachicarum

Caypullisaurus bonapartei

Platypterygius australis

Plutoniosaurus bedengensis

Simbirskiasaurus birjukovi

Platypterygius hercynicus

Sisteronia seeleyi

Platypterygius platydactylus

Maiaspondylus lindoei

Paleobiology

In addition to Muiscasaurus, in the Paja Formation has been recovered other kind of ichthyosaur,

neotropics, ichthyosaurs kept some ecological diversity.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Muiscasaurus at Fossilworks". Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ^
    doi:10.1002/spp2.1030
    .
  3. ^ a b Hogenboom, Melissa (18 October 2015). "There was once a marine reptile that had four nostrils". BBC - Earth. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  4. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa028
    .
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