Cryptoclididae

Extinct family of reptiles

Cryptoclidids
Temporal range:
Middle Jurassic - Early Cretaceous, 170–130 Ma
PreꞒ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Skeleton of Cryptoclidus eurymerus at the Museum of Paleontology, Tuebingen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: Sauropterygia
Order: Plesiosauria
Clade: Cryptoclidia
Family: Cryptoclididae
Williston, 1925
Genera
Life restoration of Muraenosaurus

Cryptoclididae is a family of medium-sized plesiosaurs that existed from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. They had long necks, broad and short skulls and densely packed teeth. They fed on small soft-bodied preys such as small fish and crustaceans. The earliest members of the family appeared during the early Bajocian, and they represented the dominant group of long-necked plesiosaurs during the latter half of the Jurassic.[3]

Classification

In 2010, two supposed late Cretaceous members of the group were reclassified as other kinds of plesiosauroids. Kaiwhekea was reclassified to Leptocleididae, and Aristonectes was transferred to Elasmosauridae.[4]

Cladogram based on Ketchum and Benson (2010):[4]

References

  1. ^ Roberts AJ, Druckenmiller PS, Cordonnier B, Delsett LL, Hurum JH. 2020. A new plesiosaurian from the Jurassic–Cretaceous transitional interval of the Slottsmøya Member (Volgian), with insights into the cranial anatomy of cryptoclidids using computed tomography. PeerJ 8:e8652 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8652
  2. ^ Gasparini, Z.; Bardet, N. & Iturralde-Vinent, M. (2002). "A new cryptoclidid plesiosaur from the Oxfordian (Late Jurassic) of Cuba" (PDF). Geobios. 35 (2): 201–211. doi:10.1016/s0016-6995(02)00019-0.
  3. ^ Fischer, Valentin; Weis, Robert; Thuy, Ben (2021-02-22). "Refining the marine reptile turnover at the Early–Middle Jurassic transition". PeerJ. 9: e10647. doi:10.7717/peerj.10647. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 7906043. PMID 33665003.
  4. ^ a b Ketchum, H. F.; Benson, R. B. J. (2010). "Global interrelationships of Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses". Biological Reviews. 85 (2): 361–392. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00107.x. PMID 20002391. S2CID 12193439.

External links

  • palaeos.com
  • iconpaleontology portal
  • v
  • t
  • e
Sauropsida
    • see Sauropsida
Sauropterygia
    • see below↓
Cyamodontida
Placochelyida
Henodontidae
Placochelyidae
Eosauropterygia
    • see below↓
Placodus gigas Placochelys placodonta
Pachypleurosauria/Pachypleurosauridae
Nothosauroidea
Nothosauria
Simosauridae
Nothosauridae
Lariosaurinae
Pistosauroidea
Pistosauria
Plesiosauria
    • see below↓
Keichousaurus hui

Nothosaurus mirabilis

Pistosaurus longaevus
Rhomaleosauridae
Pliosauridae
Thalassophonea
Brachaucheninae
Plesiosauroidea
Microcleididae
Cryptoclidia
    • see below↓
Macroplata tenuiceps

Attenborosaurus conybeari

Hydrorion brachypterygius
Cryptoclididae
Colymbosaurinae
Cryptoclidinae
Muraenosaurinae
Leptocleidia
Leptocleididae
Polycotylidae
Palmulasaurinae
Occultonectia
Polycotylinae
Dolichorhynchia
Euelasmosaurida
Elasmosaurinae
Weddellonectia
Aristonectinae
Cryptoclidus eurymerus

Leptocleidus capensis

Elasmosaurus platyurus
Taxon identifiers
Cryptoclididae


Stub icon

This article about a plesiosaur is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e
Stub icon

This article related to a Jurassic reptile is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

  • v
  • t
  • e