Zarafasaura oceanis, a new elasmosaurid (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco and the palaeobiogeography of latest Cretaceous plesiosaurs

Vincent, Peggy; Bardet, Nathalie; Suberbiola, Xabier Pereda; Bouya, Baâdi; Amaghzaz, Mbarek; Meslouh, Saïd

doi:10.1016/j.gr.2010.10.005

Cited by 95 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The selachian association of Albaina indicates a Maastrichtian age, and more precisely a Late -but not latest-Maastrich- dae in the Late Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula (Bardet et al, 2008), and one of the scarce mentions of this clade in the Maastrichtian of Europe (Vincent et al, 2011).…”

Section: Actinopterygiansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late cretaceous continental and marine vertebrate assemblages from the Laño quarry (Basque-Cantabrian Region, Iberian Peninsula): an update

Suberbiola

Corral²,

Astibia

et al. 2015

Journal of Iberian Geology

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The vertebrate-bearing beds of the Laño quarry (Condado de Treviño) are among the most relevant sites from the Late Cretaceous of Europe. Geologically, Laño and the adjacent region are set on the southern limb of the South-Cantabrian Synclinorium (SE Basque-Cantabrian Region, northern Iberian Peninsula). The Laño sites were discovered in 1984; thousands of bones and teeth, including microfossils, have been collected during the prospection in the field and excavation campaigns. The vertebrate remains occur at two different stratigraphic horizons within a continental to shallow marine succession of Late Campanian-Maastrichtian age. The lower horizon contains the Laño 1 and Laño 2 sites, whereas the upper horizon contains the Albaina site. In the Laño sites, three fossiliferous beds (called L1A, L1B and L2) are known within an alluvial system composed mainly of fluvial sands and silts. The sedimentary structures are consistent with channel areas within an extensive braided river system. Based mainly on stratigraphic correlations, the fluvial beds of Laño are regarded as Late Campanian to Early Maastrichtian in age. These deposits have yielded a very diverse vertebrate assemblage, which consists of nearly 40 species, including actinopterygians, lissamphibians, lepidosaurs, turtles, crocodyliforms, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and mammals. Seven genera and ten species have been erected to date in Laño. With reference to the marine vertebrate association of Albaina, it consists of at least 37 species, including sharks and rays, actinopterygians, mosasaurids, and plesiosaurs. Two genera and species of rhinobatoids (family indet.) and two new species of rhinobatids have been erected in Albaina. The fossil association indicates a Late (but not latest) Maastrichtian age. Recently, isolated turtle and dinosaur fossils have been discovered in the sublittoral beds of Albaina. The Laño quarry is one of the most noteworthy Campanian-Maastrichtian vertebrate localities of Europe by its taxonomic diversity, and provides useful information about the composition and affinities of both continental and marine vertebrate faunas from the latest Cretaceous of southwestern Europe.

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Section: Actinopterygiansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late cretaceous continental and marine vertebrate assemblages from the Laño quarry (Basque-Cantabrian Region, Iberian Peninsula): an update

Suberbiola

Corral²,

Astibia

et al. 2015

Journal of Iberian Geology

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“…2A, B). The presence of elongate cervical centra is usually considered diagnostic for Elasmosauridae [17], [19], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], although, the trait is known to vary taxonomically [31] with the articular faces being broader than centrum length in Aphrosaurus and Thalassomedon [17], Libonectes morgani [18], Callawayasaurus [32], and Aristonectes [33]. (2) Articular surfaces .…”

Section: Attribution Of Cope’s “Re-discovered” Cervical Centrummentioning

confidence: 99%

Revised Vertebral Count in the “Longest-Necked Vertebrate” Elasmosaurus platyurus Cope 1868, and Clarification of the Cervical-Dorsal Transition in Plesiosauria

Sachs¹,

Kear

Everhart

2013

PLoS ONE

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Elasmosaurid plesiosaurians are renowned for their immensely long necks, and indeed, possessed the highest number of cervical vertebrae for any known vertebrate. Historically, the largest count has been attributed to the iconic Elasmosaurus platyurus from the Late Cretaceous of Kansas, but estimates for the total neck series in this taxon have varied between published reports. Accurately determining the number of vertebral centra vis-à-vis the maximum length of the neck in plesiosaurians has significant implications for phylogenetic character designations, as well as the inconsistent terminology applied to some osteological structures. With these issues in mind, we reassessed the holotype of E. platyurus as a model for standardizing the debated cervical-dorsal transition in plesiosaurians, and during this procedure, documented a “lost” cervical centrum. Our revision also advocates retention of the term “pectorals” to describe the usually three or more distinctive vertebrae close to the cranial margin of the forelimb girdle that bear a functional rib facet transected by the neurocentral suture, and thus conjointly formed by both the parapophysis on the centrum body and diapophysis from the neural arch (irrespective of rib length). This morphology is unambiguously distinguishable from standard cervicals, in which the functional rib facet is borne exclusively on the centrum, and dorsals in which the rib articulation is situated above the neurocentral suture and functionally borne only by the transverse process of the neural arch. Given these easily distinguishable definitions, the maximum number of neck vertebrae preserved in E. platyurus is 72; this is only three vertebrae shorter than the recently described Albertonectes, which together with E. platyurus constitute the “longest necked” animals ever to have lived.

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“…Los registros de plesiosaurios de Marruecos han sido asignados a los Polycotylidae Thililua longicollis y Manemergus anguirostris, además de haberse registrado los Elasmosauridae Libonectes atlasense y Sarafasaura oceanis y ejemplares referidos a Elasmosauridae indet.. (Arambourg, 1952;Bardet et al, 2003;Buchy et al, 2005;Vincent et al, 2011). Los plesiosaurios registrados en Egipto son referibles a Polycotylidae indet.…”

Section: Los Registros De Madagascar Consisten En Vértebras Provenienunclassified

New Insights on theAristonectes parvidens(Plesiosauria, Elasmosauridae) Holotype: News on an Old Specimen

O'gorman

2016

Ameghiniana

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Zarafasaura oceanis, a new elasmosaurid (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco and the palaeobiogeography of latest Cretaceous plesiosaurs

Cited by 95 publications

References 24 publications

Late cretaceous continental and marine vertebrate assemblages from the Laño quarry (Basque-Cantabrian Region, Iberian Peninsula): an update

Late cretaceous continental and marine vertebrate assemblages from the Laño quarry (Basque-Cantabrian Region, Iberian Peninsula): an update

Revised Vertebral Count in the “Longest-Necked Vertebrate” Elasmosaurus platyurus Cope 1868, and Clarification of the Cervical-Dorsal Transition in Plesiosauria

New Insights on theAristonectes parvidens(Plesiosauria, Elasmosauridae) Holotype: News on an Old Specimen

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