a new elasmosaurid plesiosaur from the Lower Jurassic of southern France

摘要: Plesiosaurus tournemirensis Sciau, Crochet and Mattei, based on a nearly complete skeleton with skull from the Upper Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of Tournemire (Aveyron Department, southern France), is here redescribed reinterpreted. Comparisons other plesiosaurs indicate that it belongs to new genus, Occitanosaurus. O. characterized mainly by its spatulate premaxillae short facial process, very high postorbital broadly contacting posterior ramus maxilla, trapezoidal jugal excluded orbital margin, orbit diagonally oriented, temporal fenestra sigmoidal anterior 43 cervical vertebrae, powerful interclavicle-clavicle complex coracoids pointed protuberance lateral border expanded posterolateral cornua. Cranial vertebra features show this genus undoubtedly representative Elasmosauridae. A preliminary cladistic analysis long-necked reveals that, within Elasmosauridae, Occitanosaurus close relative Microcleidus Muraenosaurus.