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Microcleidus melusinae, a new plesiosaurian (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) from the Toarcian of Luxembourg

Peggy Vincent, Robert Weis, Guy Kronz and Dominique Delsate
Microcleidus melusinae, a new plesiosaurian (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) from the Toarcian of Luxembourg
Geological Magazine (January 2019) 156 (1): 99-116

Abstract

Most of the known and most-complete Early Jurassic specimens of plesiosaurians were recovered from the United Kingdom and Germany, and few specimens from that age originate from other areas in Europe. This study describes a new plesiosaurian taxon from Toarcian deposits of Luxembourg, Microcleidus melusinae, represented by the most complete skeleton ever discovered from this country. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis places Microcleidus melusinae within Microcleididae, as a sister taxon of the species previously included in the genus Microcleidus. The new specimen studied here contributes to our understanding of the palaeodiversity of Early Jurassic plesiosaurians and confirms their high degree of 'endemism' and low morphological disparity.


ISSN: 0016-7568
EISSN: 1469-5081
Coden: GEMGA4
Serial Title: Geological Magazine
Serial Volume: 156
Serial Issue: 1
Title: Microcleidus melusinae, a new plesiosaurian (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) from the Toarcian of Luxembourg
Affiliation: CNRS-Universite Pierre et Marie Curie-Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Departement Histoire de la Terre, Paris, France
Pages: 99-116
Published: 201901
Text Language: English
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, London, United Kingdom
References: 97
Accession Number: 2019-014729
Categories: Vertebrate paleontology
Document Type: Serial
Bibliographic Level: Analytic
Illustration Description: illus. incl. 1 plate, sketch map
N49°30'00" - N49°30'00", E05°49'60" - E05°49'60"
Secondary Affiliation: Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle, LUX, Luxembourg
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Secondary Affiliation: GeoRef, Copyright 2019, American Geosciences Institute. Abstract, Copyright, Cambridge University Press. Reference includes data from GeoScienceWorld, Alexandria, VA, United States
Update Code: 201910
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