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
Cryptoclidids are a major clade of plesiosauromorph plesiosaurians best known from the Middle—Late Jurassic, but little is known regarding their turnover into the Early Cretaceous. Of the known cryptoclidid genera, most preserve only a limited amount of cranial material and of these Cryptoclidus eur...
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PeerJ Inc.
2020-03-01
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| author | Aubrey Jane Roberts Patrick S. Druckenmiller Benoit Cordonnier Lene L. Delsett Jørn H. Hurum |
| author_facet | Aubrey Jane Roberts Patrick S. Druckenmiller Benoit Cordonnier Lene L. Delsett Jørn H. Hurum |
| author_sort | Aubrey Jane Roberts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cryptoclidids are a major clade of plesiosauromorph plesiosaurians best known from the Middle—Late Jurassic, but little is known regarding their turnover into the Early Cretaceous. Of the known cryptoclidid genera, most preserve only a limited amount of cranial material and of these Cryptoclidus eurymerus, displays the most complete, but compressed cranium. Thus, the lack of knowledge of the cranial anatomy of this group may hinder the understanding of phylogenetic interrelationships, which are currently predominantly based on postcranial data. Here we present a nearly complete adult cryptoclidid specimen (PMO 224.248) representing a new genus and species Ophthalmothule cryostea gen et sp. nov., from the latest Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous part of the Slottsmøya Member, of central Spitsbergen. The holotype material preserves a complete cranium, partial mandible, complete and articulated cervical, pectoral and anterior to middle dorsal series, along with the pectoral girdle and anterior humeri. High resolution microcomputed tomography reveals new data on the cranial anatomy of this cryptoclidid, including new internal features of the braincase and palate that are observed in other cryptoclidids. A phylogenetic analysis incorporating new characters reveals a novel tree topology for Cryptoclididae and particularly within the subfamily Colymbosaurinae. These results show that at least two cryptoclidid lineages were present in the Boreal Region during the latest Jurassic at middle to high latitudes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:26:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-077edf75aa624e028b76c40dc3aa69c9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T07:26:47Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj.art-077edf75aa624e028b76c40dc3aa69c92023-12-03T06:52:23ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592020-03-018e865210.7717/peerj.8652A new plesiosaurian from the Jurassic–Cretaceous transitional interval of the Slottsmøya Member (Volgian), with insights into the cranial anatomy of cryptoclidids using computed tomographyAubrey Jane Roberts0Patrick S. Druckenmiller1Benoit Cordonnier2Lene L. Delsett3Jørn H. Hurum4The Natural History Museum, London, UKUniversity of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, AK, USAPhysics of Geological Processes, Institute of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayThe Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayThe Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayCryptoclidids are a major clade of plesiosauromorph plesiosaurians best known from the Middle—Late Jurassic, but little is known regarding their turnover into the Early Cretaceous. Of the known cryptoclidid genera, most preserve only a limited amount of cranial material and of these Cryptoclidus eurymerus, displays the most complete, but compressed cranium. Thus, the lack of knowledge of the cranial anatomy of this group may hinder the understanding of phylogenetic interrelationships, which are currently predominantly based on postcranial data. Here we present a nearly complete adult cryptoclidid specimen (PMO 224.248) representing a new genus and species Ophthalmothule cryostea gen et sp. nov., from the latest Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous part of the Slottsmøya Member, of central Spitsbergen. The holotype material preserves a complete cranium, partial mandible, complete and articulated cervical, pectoral and anterior to middle dorsal series, along with the pectoral girdle and anterior humeri. High resolution microcomputed tomography reveals new data on the cranial anatomy of this cryptoclidid, including new internal features of the braincase and palate that are observed in other cryptoclidids. A phylogenetic analysis incorporating new characters reveals a novel tree topology for Cryptoclididae and particularly within the subfamily Colymbosaurinae. These results show that at least two cryptoclidid lineages were present in the Boreal Region during the latest Jurassic at middle to high latitudes.https://peerj.com/articles/8652.pdfPlesiosaurJurassicCryptoclididComputed tomographyPhylogeneticsSvalbard |
| spellingShingle | Aubrey Jane Roberts Patrick S. Druckenmiller Benoit Cordonnier Lene L. Delsett Jørn H. Hurum 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 Plesiosaur Jurassic Cryptoclidid Computed tomography Phylogenetics Svalbard |
| title | 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 |
| title_full | 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 |
| title_fullStr | 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 |
| title_full_unstemmed | 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 |
| title_short | 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 |
| title_sort | new plesiosaurian from the jurassic cretaceous transitional interval of the slottsmoya member volgian with insights into the cranial anatomy of cryptoclidids using computed tomography |
| topic | Plesiosaur Jurassic Cryptoclidid Computed tomography Phylogenetics Svalbard |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/8652.pdf |
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