Leptocleididae

Leptocleididae
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, Berriasian–Albian
Leptocleidus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: †Sauropterygia
Order: †Plesiosauria
Clade: †Leptocleidia
Family: †Leptocleididae
White, 1940
Subgroups

See text.

Leptocleididae is a family of small-sized plesiosaurs that lived during the Early Cretaceous period (early Berriasian to early Albian stage).[1] Leptocleidus and Umoonasaurus had round bodies and triangle shaped heads. Hilary F. Ketchum and Roger B. J. Benson (2010), transferred Brancasaurus, Kaiwhekea, Nichollssaura and Thililua to this family.[2] However, Ketchum and Benson (2011) reassigned Kaiwhekea and Thililua to their original positions, as an elasmosaurid and a polycotylid, respectively.[1]

Phylogeny

Leptocleididae

Kaiwhekea


Nichollssaura

Thililua

Brancasaurus

Umoonasaurus


Leptocleidus

L. capensis

L. superstes







Cladogram based on Ketchum and Benson (2011):[1]

Leptocleididae

Nichollssaura

Brancasaurus

Umoonasaurus


Leptocleidus

L. capensis

L. superstes






References

  1. 1 2 3 Hilary F. Ketchum and Roger B. J. Benson (2011). "A new pliosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of England: evidence for a gracile, longirostrine grade of Early-Middle Jurassic pliosaurids". Special Papers in Palaeontology 86: 109–129. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01083.x.
  2. ↑ Ketchum, H. F., and Benson, R. B. J. (2010). "Global interrelationships of Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses". Biological Reviews 85: 361–392. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00107.x. PMID 20002391.
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