Aptychodon

Aptychodon
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, Turonian
Teeth from the holotype of A. cretaceus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: †Sauropterygia
Order: †Plesiosauria
Genus: †Aptychodon
von Reuss, 1855
Type species
†Aptychodon cretaceus
von Reuss, 1855

Aptychodon (meaning "unwrinkled tooth") is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Czech Republic. The type species is A. cretaceus.

Discovery and naming

Teeth from the holotype of Aptychodon cretaceus.

The holotype consists of incompletely preserved teeth and they were discovered at White Mountain near Prague, Czech Republic. They were then sent to the Prague Museum before von Reuss (1855) described the teeth and created the species Aptychodon cretaceius.

Description

The teeth of Aptychodon are conical and curved towards one side despite mostly being straight. They also measure between 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) and 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length.

Classification

Aptychodon has been classified as a potential synonym of Polyptychodon interruptus by later authors. Most authors classify Aptychodon within a basal position in Plesiosauria.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sepkoski, J.J. (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560
  2. ↑ Aptychodon in the Paleobiology Database
  3. 1 2 3 von Reuss, August Emanuel (1855). "Paläontologishe Miscellen: IV. Reptilreste im pläner der umgebung von Prag" (PDF). Wirklichem Mitoliede der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften.