Purranisaurus

Purranisaurus is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform from the Middle to Late Jurassic period of Chile and Argentina. Rusconi originally regarded Purranisaurus potens (the type species) to be a plesiosaur;[1] however, Gasparini demonstrated that it was in fact a metriorhynchid crocodyliform, and that may be a junior synonym of Metriorhynchus.[2]

Purranisaurus
Temporal range: Tithonian
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Suborder: †Thalattosuchia
Family: †Metriorhynchidae
Subfamily: †Geosaurinae
Genus: †Purranisaurus
Rusconi 1948[1]
Species
  • P. potens Rusconi 1948 (type)

Taxonomy and phylogeny

In the 2000s phylogenetic analysis has shown that Purranisaurus is a distinct metriorhynchid genus.[3][4] A subsequent study expanded the genus Purranisaurus to include Metriorhynchus casamiquelai and M. westermanni.[5] Following the re-description of the holotype of the type species, only that species is now referred to Purranisaurus. [6]

References
  1. Rusconi C. 1948. Nuevo plesiosaurio, pez y langostas del mar jurasico de Mendoza. Mendoza, Mus. Hist. Nat., Rev. 2: 3–12.
  2. Gasparini Z. 1975. Revisión de ?Purranisaurus potens Rusconi, 1948 (Crocodilia, Thalattosuchia) Los Thalattosuchia como un nuevo Infraorden de los Crocodilia. Actas del Congreso Geologico Argentino 5: 423–431.
  3. Young MT. 2007. The evolution and interrelationships of Metriorhynchidae (Crocodyliformes, Thalattosuchia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27 (3): 170A.
  4. Young, Mark T., and Marco Brandalise de Andrade, 2009. "What is Geosaurus? Redescription of Geosaurus giganteus (Thalattosuchia: Metriorhynchidae) from the Upper Jurassic of Bayern, Germany." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 157: 551-585.
  5. Young, Mark T., Brusatte, Stephen L., Ruta, M., Andrade, Marco B. 2009. "The evolution of Metriorhynchoidea (Mesoeucrocodylia, Thalattosuchia): an integrated approach using geometrics morphometrics, analysis of disparity and biomechanics". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 158: 801-859.
  6. Herrera Y, Gasparini Z, Fernandez MS (2015). "Purranisaurus potens Rusconi, an enigmatic metriorhynchid from the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous of the Neuquén Basin". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (2): e904790. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.904790.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)


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