A partial skeleton and isolated humeri ofNothosaurus(Reptilia: Eosauropterygia) from Winterswijk, The Netherlands
- 12 June 2008
- journal article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
- Vol. 28 (2) , 326-338
Abstract
A rare partial postcranium and isolated humeri of Nothosaurus from the Lower Muschelkalk of Winterswijk, The Netherlands are described. The partial skeleton consists of a vertebral column with ribs, pectoral girdle elements, and incomplete forelimbs. Because current species-level taxonomy of Nothosaurus is based only on features of the skull, we examined the postcranial morphology in detail in order to assign the skeleton to a valid species. We focused on the humerus because this bone generally shows a complex morphology in Lower Muschelkalk Nothosaurus. Three different humerus morphotypes were recognized in the Winterswijk material, which were also seen among humeri from other Lower and lowermost Middle Muschelkalk localities such as Rüdersdorf and Oberdorla (both in Germany), and Gogolin (Poland). Morphotype I is characterized by a slender appearance with a bulky proximal end. The preaxial and postaxial edges of the shaft are very distinct, and the distal end is fan-shaped. Morphotype II is rat...Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Bone surface texture as an ontogenetic indicator in long bones of the Canada goose Branta canadensis (Anseriformes: Anatidae)Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006
- Quantitative microanatomy of jaw muscle attachment in extant diapsidsJournal of Morphology, 2006
- Zeitskala fur Perm und Trias in der Stratigraphischen Tabelle von Deutschland 2002, zyklostratigraphische Kalibrierung der hoheren Dyas und Germanischen Trias und das Alter der Stufen Roadium bis Rhaetium 2005Newsletters on Stratigraphy, 2006
- The marine diapsid reptile Endennasaurus from the Upper Triassic of ItalyPalaeontology, 2005
- The status ofShingyisaurus unexpectusfrom the Middle Triassic of Kweichou, ChinaJournal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 1998
- Corosaurus alcovensis Case and the phylogenetic interrelationships of Triassic stem-group SauropterygiaZoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1998
- A new pistosaurid (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Middle Triassic of Nevada and its implications for the origin of the plesiosaursJournal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 1997
- Paleobiogeography of Middle Triassic Sauropterygia in Central and Western Europe1997
- The pachypleurosaurids (Reptilia: Nothosauria) from the Middle Triassic of Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland) with the description of a new speciesPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences, 1989
- Palaeohatteria Credner, and the ProganosauriaAmerican Journal of Science, 1889