Purranisaurus

Taxobox
name = "Purranisaurus"
fossil_range = Fossil range|151|150Tithonian
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
unranked_ordo = Mesoeucrocodylia
subordo = Thalattosuchia
familia = Metriorhynchidae
genus = "Purranisaurus"
genus_authority = Rusconi, 1948 Rusconi C. 1948. Nuevo plesiosaurio, pez y langostas del mar jurasico de Mendoza. "Mendoza, Mus. Hist. Nat., Rev." 2: 3–12.]

"Purranisaurus" is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform from the Late Jurassic period of the Tithonian of Argentina. Rusconi originally regarded "Purranisaurus potens" to be a plesiosaur; however, Gasparini demonstrated that it was in fact a metriorhynchid crocodyliform, and that may be a junior synonym of "Metriorhynchus".Gasparini Z. 1975. Revison de ?"Purranisaurus potens" RUSCONI, 1948 (Crocodilia, Thalattosuchia) Los Thalattosuchia como un nuevo Infraorden de los Crocodilia. "Actas del Congreso Geologico Argentino" 5: 423–431.]

Recent phylogenetic analysis however, suggest "Purranisaurus" may be a distinct genus of metriorhynchid.Young MT. 2007. The evolution and interrelationships of Metriorhynchidae (Crocodyliformes, Thalattosuchia). "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology" 27 (3): 170A.]

References