Polycotylidae (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the La Colonia Formation, Patagonia, Argentina: Phylogenetic affinities of Sulcusuchus erraini and the Late Cretaceous circum-pacific polycotylid diversity

Polycotylids were a clade of short-necked plesiosaur that achieved a worldwide distribution and a peak of diversity during the Albian–Turonian, reaching the K/Pg mass extinction with a relative low diversity. One of the youngest polycotylids worldwide recorded is Sulcusuchus erraini, from Los Alamit...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: O'gorman, Jose Patricio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/218398
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/218398
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:ALLEN FORMATION
CAMPANIAN
MAASTRICHTIAN
OCCULTONECTIA
POLYCOTYLIDAE
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:Polycotylids were a clade of short-necked plesiosaur that achieved a worldwide distribution and a peak of diversity during the Albian–Turonian, reaching the K/Pg mass extinction with a relative low diversity. One of the youngest polycotylids worldwide recorded is Sulcusuchus erraini, from Los Alamitos and La Colonia formations (Patagonia). Here, a new polycotylid specimen, also from Maastrichtian levels of the La Colonia Formation, is described; and the affinities of the new material and Sulcusuchus erraini are evaluated. Additionally, the phylogenetic position of Sulcusuchus erraini is reevaluated recovering Sulcusuchus erraini outside the Occultonectia, the latter comprising only Cenomanian–Turonian polycotylids. However, additional analysis indicate that the position of S. erraini is far from being well resolved.