Pontosaurus

Pontosaurus
Temporal range: Cenomanian
Pontosaurus kornhuberi fossil
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: †Dolichosauridae
Genus: †Pontosaurus
Gorjanovic-Kramberger, 1892
Species
  • P. kornhuberi Caldwell, 2006[1]
  • P. lesinensis (Kornhuber, 1873 [originally Hydrosaurus lesinensis]) (type)
Head of Pontosaurus kornhuberi

Pontosaurus is a now extinct genus of pythonomorph from the Late Cretaceous period. It was originally named Hydrosaurus, but that name was preoccupied by an agamid lizard, so it was renamed. It is known from two species, both Cenomanian in age, the type P. lesinensis which is known from Hvar in Croatia, the other P. kornhuberi is known from the Sannine Formation in Lebanon.[2]

  1. ^ Michael W. Caldwell (2006). "A new species of Pontosaurus (Squamata, Pythonomorpha) from the Upper Cretaceous of Lebanon and a phylogenetic analysis of Pythonomorpha". Memorie della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano. 34: 1–42.
  2. ^ Campbell Mekarski, Michelle; Pierce, Stephanie E.; Caldwell, Michael W. (2019-09-24). "Spatiotemporal Distributions of Non-ophidian Ophidiomorphs, With Implications for Their Origin, Radiation, and Extinction". Frontiers in Earth Science. 7: 245. Bibcode:2019FrEaS...7..245M. doi:10.3389/feart.2019.00245. ISSN 2296-6463.