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A new ichthyosaur from the Tithonian (Late Jurassic) of the Neuquén Basin, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

M. S. Fernández
M. S. Fernández*
Affiliation:
Departamento Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
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Abstract

A large ichthyosaur from the Early Tithonian (Late Jurassic) of the Neuquén province, Argentina, represents a new genus and species, Caypullisaurus bonapartei, within the family Ichthyosauridae. The holotype is the most complete skeleton of a mature ichthyosaur known to date from the Jurassic of South America. In comparison with other Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs, the new taxon shares a long and slender rostrum, degenerate dentition in adults, and the enlargement of the orbit with Ophthalmosaurus. Unlike Ophthalmosaurus, the forefin of Caypullisaurus has four major digits composed of tightly packed, polygonal phalanges, and pre- and post-axial accessory digits. Caypullisaurus demonstrates that ichthyosaurs were more diverse during the Late Jurassic than thought previously.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 71 , Issue 3 , May 1997 , pp. 479 - 484
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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