Leptocleididae

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]

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
Genera

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. 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.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. Ketchum, H. F.; 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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