Unranked clade
Valid Extinct

Halisaurini

Longrich et al. 2021

No Wikipedia summary available.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
The temporal range slightly exceeds the K-Pg boundary (66 Ma). Likely an interval offset in PBDB data.
PBDB occurrences
42
Group
Mosasaures
Carnivore aquatic Terrestrial
Halisaurini
click to enlarge
Fossil of Halisaurus, an extinct reptile- Took the picture at Muse (Trento) © Ghedoghedo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB
Classification
Mosasauridae Family
Halisaurinae Unranked clade
Halisaurini Unranked clade
Fossil sites 42 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
16
🇲🇦 Morocco
7
🇸🇪 Sweden
6
🇨🇱 Chile
2
🇦🇴 Angola
2
🇵🇪 Peru
1
🇨🇴 Colombia
1
🇯🇴 Jordan
1
🇯🇵 Japan
1
🇨🇩 DR Congo
1
Geological formations
Navesink
3
Severn
3
Mocuio
2
Blufftown
1
Vivian
1
Mount Laurel
1
Merchantville
1
Marshalltown
1
Nivel de Lutitas y Arenas
1
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
26
Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)
15
Santonian (85.7–83.6 Ma)
1
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
N. R. Longrich, N. Bardet, and F. Khaldoune, O. Khadiri Yazami, N.-E. Jalil. 2021. Pluridens serpentis, a new mosasaurid (Mosasauridae: Halisaurinae) from the Maastrichtian of Morocco and implications for mosasaur diversity. Cretaceous Research DOI ↗
Bibliography (29)
R. A. Otero. 2025. Review of two marine vertebrate assemblages from the Arauco Basin (central Chile) reveals diversity changes throughout the Maastrichtian. Cretaceous Research 166(78):105996 DOI ↗
T. Rempert, B. Martens, and A. Vinkeles Melchers. 2024. Mosasaurs (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous (Late Maastrichtian) of North Carolina, USA. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS 328(3):384-391 DOI ↗
A. A. Shaker, N. R. Longrich, and A. Strougo, A. Asan, N. Bardet, M. K. Mousa, A. A. Tantawy, G. A. Abu El-Kheir. 2023. A new species of Halisaurus (Mosasauridae: Halisaurinae) from the lower Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Western Desert, Egypt. Cretaceous Research 154:105719 DOI ↗
P. Jiménez-Huidobro, R. A. Otero, and S. Soto-Acuña, M. W. Caldwell. 2019. Reassessment of cf. Plotosaurus from the upper Maastrichtian of Chile, with comments on the South American distribution of halisaurine mosasaurs. Cretaceous Research 103:104162:1-9 DOI ↗
T. Konishi, M. W. Caldwell, and T. Nishimura, K. Sakurai, K. Tanoue. 2016. A new halisaurine mosasaur (Squamata: Halisaurinae) from Japan: the first record in the western Pacific realm and the first documented insights into binocular vision in mosasaurs. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 14(10):809-839 DOI ↗
M. S. Fernández and M. Talevi. 2015. An halisaurine (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia, with a preserved tympanic disc: Insights into the mosasaur middle ear. Comptes Rendus Palevol 14:483-493 DOI ↗
H. Cappetta, N. Bardet, and X. Pereda Suberbiola, S. Adnet, D. Akkrim, M. Amalik, A. Benabdallah. 2014. Marine vertebrate faunas from the Maastrichtian phosphates of Benguérir (Ganntour Basin, Morocco): Biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 409:217-238 DOI ↗
M. E. Páramo-Fonseca. 2013. Eonatator coellensis nov. sp. (Squamata: Mosasauridae), a new species from the Upper Cretaceous of Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias 37(145):499-518
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J. Lindgren. 2007. First record of Halisaurus (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Pacific coast of North America. PaleoBios 27(2):40-47
J. W. M. Jagt, N. Motchurova-Dekova, and P. Ivanov, H. Capetta, A. S. Schulp. 2006. Latest Cretaceous mosasaurs and lamniform sharks from Labirinta cave, Vratsa district (northwest Bulgaria): a preliminary note. Annales Geologiques de la Peninsule Balkanique 67:51-63 DOI ↗
N. Bardet, X. Pereda Suberbiola, and M. Iarochene, B. Bouya, M. Amaghaz. 2005. A new species of Halisaurus from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, and the phylogenetical relationships of the Halisaurinae (Squamata: Mosasauridae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 143:447-472 DOI ↗
J. Lindgren and M. Siverson. 2005. Halisaurus sternbergi, a small mosasaur with an intercontinental distribution. Journal of Paleontology 79(4):763-773 DOI ↗
N. Bardet and X. Pereda Suberbiola. 2002. Marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous Phosphates of Jordan: palaeobiogeographical implications. Geodiversitas 24(4):831-839
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R. B. Holmes and H.-D. Sues. 2000. A partial skeleton of the basal mosasaur Halisaurus platyspondylus from the Severn Formation (Upper Cretaceous: Maastrichtian) of Maryland. Journal of Paleontology 74(2):309-316 DOI ↗
M. W. Caldwell and G. L. Bell, Jr. 1995. Halisaurus sp. (Mosasauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) of east-central Peru, and the taxonomic utility of mosasaur cervical vertebrae. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15(3):532-544 DOI ↗
T. Lingham-Soliar. 1994. First record of mosasaurs from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of Zaire. Palaeontologische Zeitschrift 68(1/2):259-265 DOI ↗
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