Purranisaurus

Purranisaurus Temporal range: Tithonian
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Crocodylomorpha
Clade:	Crocodyliformes
Suborder:	†Thalattosuchia
Family:	†Metriorhynchidae
Subfamily:	†Geosaurinae
Genus:	†Purranisaurus Rusconi 1948[1]
Species
P. potens Rusconi 1948 (type)

Purranisaurus is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform from the Middle to Late Jurassic period of Chile and Vaca Muerta of Argentina. Rusconi originally regarded Purranisaurus potens (the type species) to be a plesiosaur;^[1] however, Gasparini demonstrated that it was in fact a metriorhynchid crocodyliform, and that may be a junior synonym of Metriorhynchus.^[2] It was about 3.3 m (11 ft) long.^[3]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Restoration of 'Metriorhynchus' casamiquelai, which was at one point assigned to Purranisaurus

In the 2000s phylogenetic analysis has shown that Purranisaurus is a distinct metriorhynchid genus.^[4][5] A subsequent study expanded the genus Purranisaurus to include Metriorhynchus casamiquelai and M. westermanni.^[6] Following the re-description of the holotype of the type species, only that species is now referred to Purranisaurus. ^[7]

References

1. Rusconi C. 1948. Nuevo plesiosaurio, pez y langostas del mar jurasico de Mendoza. Mendoza, Mus. Hist. Nat., Rev. 2: 3–12.
2. Gasparini Z. 1975. Revisión de ?Purranisaurus potens Rusconi, 1948 (Crocodilia, Thalattosuchia) Los Thalattosuchia como un nuevo Infraorden de los Crocodilia. Actas del Congreso Geologico Argentino 5: 423–431.
3. Young, M.T.; Bell, M.A.; de Andrade, M.B.; Brusatte, S.L. (2011). "Body size estimation and evolution in metriorhynchid crocodylomorphs: implications for species diversification and niche partitioning". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163 (4): 1199–1216. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00734.x.
4. Young MT. 2007. The evolution and interrelationships of Metriorhynchidae (Crocodyliformes, Thalattosuchia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27 (3): 170A.
5. Young, Mark T., and Marco Brandalise de Andrade, 2009. "What is Geosaurus? Redescription of Geosaurus giganteus (Thalattosuchia: Metriorhynchidae) from the Upper Jurassic of Bayern, Germany." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 157: 551-585.
6. Young, Mark T., Brusatte, Stephen L., Ruta, M., Andrade, Marco B. 2009. "The evolution of Metriorhynchoidea (Mesoeucrocodylia, Thalattosuchia): an integrated approach using geometrics morphometrics, analysis of disparity and biomechanics". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 158: 801-859.
7. Herrera Y, Gasparini Z, Fernandez MS (2015). "Purranisaurus potens Rusconi, an enigmatic metriorhynchid from the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous of the Neuquén Basin". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (2): e904790. Bibcode:2015JVPal..35E4790H. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.904790. hdl:11336/13737. S2CID 128937976.