Genus
Valid Extinct

Psephosauriscus

Rieppel 2002

Psephosauriscus is an extinct genus of placodont reptile from the Middle Triassic of Israel and Egypt. It is known from bony armor plates that have been found from Makhtesh Ramon in Israel's Negev desert and Araif en Naqua on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The genus was erected in 2002 as a replacement name for several species of the genus Psephosaurus, which was named in 1957. It includes the species P. mosis, P. ramonensis, P. sinaiticus, and a possible fourth species, P. rhombifer. All species, with the exception of P. ramonensis, were once assigned to the genus Psephosaurus. Remains of P. mosis and P. ramonensis were found in Makhtesh Ramon, while P. sinaiticus and P. rhombifer were found in Araif en Naqua.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
7
Group
Sauroptérygiens
Marine
🦴
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Sauropterygia Suborder
›
Placodontia Order
›
Cyamodontoidea Suborder
›
Psephosauriscus Genus
Fossil sites 7 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇮🇱 Israel
4
🇪🇬 Egypt
2
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
1
Geological formations
Gevanim
3
Jilh
1
Temporal distribution
Ladinian (241.464–237 Ma)
1
Anisian (246.7–241.464 Ma)
6
Species (7)
Psephosauriscus mosis 247 Ma
Psephosauriscus ramonensis 243 Ma
Psephosauriscus rhombifer 247 Ma
Psephosauriscus sinaiticus 247 Ma
Psephosaurus mosis replaced by Psephosauriscus mosis 247 Ma
Psephosaurus rhombifer replaced by Psephosauriscus rhombifer 247 Ma
Psephosaurus sinaiticus replaced by Psephosauriscus sinaiticus 247 Ma
Bibliography
Original description
B. P. Kear, T. H. Rich, and P. Vickers-Rich, M. A. Ali, Y. A. Al-Mufarrih, A. D. Matari, A. M. Al-Masary, M. A. Halawani. 2010. A review of aquatic vertebrate remains from the Middle-Upper Triassic Jilh Formation of Saudi Arabia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 122:1-8 DOI ↗
Bibliography (5)
B. P. Kear, T. H. Rich, and P. Vickers-Rich, M. A. Ali, Y. A. Al-Mufarrih, A. D. Matari, A. M. Al-Masary, M. A. Halawani. 2010. A review of aquatic vertebrate remains from the Middle-Upper Triassic Jilh Formation of Saudi Arabia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 122:1-8 DOI ↗
O. Rieppel. 2002. The dermal armor of the cyamodontoid placodonts (Reptilia, Sauropterygia): morphology and systematic value. Fieldiana Geology: New Series 46:1-41 DOI ↗
A. Parnes, C. Benjamini, and F. Hirsch. 1985. New Aspects of Triassic Ammonoid Biostratigraphy, Paleoenvironments and Paleobiogeography in Southern Israel (Sepharadic Province). Journal of Paleontology 59(3):656-666
G. Haas. 1959. On some fragments of the dermal skeleton of Placodontia from the Trias of Araif en Naqa, Sinai Peninsula. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar, Fjärde Serien 7(4):1-19
F. Brotzen. 1956. Stratigraphical studies on the Triassic vertebrate fossils from Wadi Raman, Israel. Arkiv foer Mineralogi och Geologi 2(9):191-217