Microcleidus
Microcleidus Temporal range: Toarcian ~182–175 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
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Fossil M. homalospondylus | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
Order: | †Plesiosauria |
Family: | †Microcleididae |
Genus: | †Microcleidus Watson, 1909 |
Type species | |
Plesiosaurus homalospondylus (Owen, 1865) | |
Other species | |
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Synonyms | |
M. macropteus
M. tournemirensis
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Microcleidus is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile belonging to the Plesiosauroidea. The species has 40 neck vertebrae and a short tail of 28 vertebrae. Fossils of the genus have been found in France, the Posidonia Shale in Germany and Luxembourg, and the Alum Shale Formation of England.
Description
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Microcleidus_homalospondylus.png/220px-Microcleidus_homalospondylus.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Espalion_-_Mus%C3%A9e_Joseph_Vaylet_%2813%29.jpg/220px-Espalion_-_Mus%C3%A9e_Joseph_Vaylet_%2813%29.jpg)
The type species, M. homalospondylus, was the largest, measuring 5.1 m (17 ft) long and weighing 650 kg (1,430 lb). Other species were smaller: M. tournemirensis was about 4 m (13 ft) long and weighed 300 kg (660 lb), and M. melusinae was about 3 m (9.8 ft) long and weighed 120 kg (260 lb).[1][2][3]
Classification
Species include: Microcleidus homalospondylus (Owen 1865) and Microcleidus macropterus (Seeley 1865).
Occitanosaurus tournemirensis (originally "Plesiosaurus" tournemirensis), was named by Sciau et al. in 1990, based on a nearly complete skeleton of an animal approximately 4 meters (13 ft) long.[1] It was later found to be a species of Microcleidus.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Espalion_-_Mus%C3%A9e_Joseph_Vaylet_%2812%29.jpg/220px-Espalion_-_Mus%C3%A9e_Joseph_Vaylet_%2812%29.jpg)
The following cladogram follows an analysis by Ketchum & Benson, 2011.[4]
NHMUK 49202 [now Anningasaura lymense] | |||||||||||||
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OUMNH J.10337 [now Stratesaurus taylori] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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