Sapheosaurus

Sapheosaurus
Temporal range: Late JurassicKimmeridgian [1]
Sapheosaurus thiollierei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Sphenodontia
Family:
Sapheosauridae †[2]
Genus:
Sapheosaurus †
Species
  • S. thiollierei † Meyer, 1850[3]
  • S. laticeps † Wagner[3]

Sapheosaurus was an extinct genus of Late Jurassic sphenodont. Its skull was longer and narrower than that of Homoeosaurus.[3] It was classified as a genus of sapheosaur by Michael Benton in 1985.[2] It reached a length of 70 cm from snout to tail.[4] Sapheosaurus belongs to the clade Sapheosauridae, that also includes other taxa like Kallimodon. It is believed to be one of two aquatic sphenodont lineages, with Pleurosauridae being the other.[5][6]

TMH 3954, the holotype of S. laticeps (=Piocormus laticeps)
  1. ^ BOULENGER, G. (1919). Sur le genre Sapheosaurus, Rhynchocephalien du Kiméridgien de Cerin. CR Acad. Sci. Paris, 605-607.
  2. ^ a b "The Paleobiology Database". Archived from the original on 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  3. ^ a b c British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Geology; Lydekker, R. (1888). Catalogue of the Fossil Reptilia and Amphibia in the British Museum (Natural History): The orders Ornithosauria, Crocodilia, Dinosauria, Squamata, Rhynochocephalia, and Proterosauria. order of the Trustees. p. 292. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  4. ^ "GenusSpecies Skull Height Length Weight Stage Ablepharus L". docstoc.com. Retrieved 2015-03-22.
  5. ^ Jones, Marc E.H. (2008). "Skull Shape and Feeding Strategy in Sphenodon and Other Rhynchocephalia (Diapsida: Lepidosauria". Journal of Morphology. 269 (8): 945–966. doi:10.1002/jmor.10634. PMID 18512698.
  6. ^ Marc E. H. Jones, Skull shape and feeding strategy in Sphenodon and other Rhynchocephalia (Diapsida: Lepidosauria), Article in Journal of Morphology 269(8):945-66 · August 2008 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.10634 · Source: PubMed