Steneosaurus edwardsi (Thalattosuchia: Teleosauridae), the largest known crocodylomorph of the Middle Jurassic

Michela M. Johnson*, Mark T. Young, Lorna Steel, Yves Lepage

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Teleosaurids were a clade of marine crocodylomorphs that were globally distributed during the Jurassic Period. They evolved a wide range of body sizes, from small (∼2-3m) to very large (>9m). Until now, the largest known Middle Jurassic teleosaurid was 'Steneosaurus'obtusidens, from the Oxford Clay Formation of the UK. Here, we re-examine a very large Oxford Clay specimen (ilium, ischium, and femur) that had been tentatively attributed to 'S.'obtusidens. Based on comparative anatomical study with the 'S.'obtusidens holotype and referred specimens of Steneosaurusedwardsi and Steneosaurusleedsi, we conclude that this very large individual actually pertains to S.edwardsi. Based on comparisons with the Machimosaurusmosae neotype (which has a complete femur and skeleton), we estimate a total length in excess of 7m for this large S.edwardsi individual, making it the largest known Middle Jurassic teleosaurid. Therefore, along with the closely related genus Machimosaurus, this clade of large-bodied Middle-Late Jurassic teleosaurids were the largest species during the first 100 million years of crocodylomorph evolution.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)911-918
Number of pages8
JournalBiological journal of the linnean society
Volume115
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Callovian
  • Crocodile
  • England
  • Oxford Clay Formation
  • Teleosaurid

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