An archaic crested plesiosaur in opal from the Lower Cretaceous high-latitude deposits of Australia.

ABSTRACT: Umoonasaurus demoscyllus gen. et sp. nov. is a new small-bodied (approx. 2.5m) pliosauroid plesiosaur from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) of southern Australia. It is represented by several partial skeletons (one with a near complete skull is the most complete opalized vertebrate fossil yet known), and is unique in having large crests on the skull midline and above the orbits. Umoonasaurus is surprisingly archaic despite its relatively late age (approx. 115 Myr ago)--being simultaneously the most basal (primitive) and last surviving rhomaleosaurid. Notably, it lacks the 'pliosauromorph' features (large head, short neck, gigantism) typically characterizing many more derived Jurassic rhomaleosaurids; thus, reinforcing the suspected convergent evolution of the 'pliosauromorph' hypercarn

SUBMITTER: Kear BP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1833998 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature