Genus
Valid Extinct

Sisteronia

Fischer et al. 2014

Sisteronia is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from the 'middle' Cretaceous of southeastern England and southeastern France. It contains a single species, Sisteronia seeleyi.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
6
Group
Ichtyosaures
Carnivore nektonic Marine
Sisteronia
click to enlarge
Sisteronia seeleyi, basicranium. A, B: basisphenoid (RGHP SI 2) in dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views. C: basioccipital (CAMSM B57943) in posterior view. D: holotype basioccipital (CAMSM B58257_67) in dorsal view. E–G: supraoccipital (RGHP SI 2) in posterior (E) and anterolateral (otic) (F, G) views. H–J: left opisthotic (CAMSM B58257_67) in posterior (H) and anterior (otic) (I, J) views. K: left stapes (RGHP SI 2) in posterior view. Note the extremely reduced (nearly absent) extracondylar area of the basioccipital, a platypterygiine synapomorphy, and the dorsal process posterior to a triangular depression (delineated by the thick dotted line) on the basioccipital, an autapomorphy of Sisteronia seeleyi. Abbreviations: AVSC: impression of the anterior vertical semicircular canal of the otic labyrinth; HSC: impression of the horizontal semicircular canal of the otic labyrinth; PVSC: impression of the posterior vertical semicircular canal of the otic labyrinth; UPL: impression of the utricular portion of the otic labyrinth; Vag: vagus foramen. © Valentin Fischer, Nathalie Bardet, Myette Guiomar, Pascal Godefroit · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia
Sisteronia
Sisteronia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Ichthyosauria Unranked clade
›
Baracromia Unranked clade
›
Ophthalmosauridae Family
›
Platypterygiinae Subfamily
›
Sisteronia Genus
Fossil sites 6 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
3
🇫🇷 France
2
🇷🇺 Russia
1
Geological formations
Marnes bleues
2
Gault
1
West Melbury Marly Chalk
1
Temporal distribution
Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)
2
Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)
4
Species (1)
Sisteronia seeleyi 113 Ma
News 1
Le dernier souffle d’un géant des Alpes enfin reconstitué
The last breath of an Alpine giant finally reconstituted
book Sisteronia geology
20,000 years ago, an immense glacier extended in the Durance valley to the gates of Sisteron. Now extinct, this ice giant still reveals its secrets: subtle traces in the landscape reveal that it would have experienced a much more eventful end than we imagined.
19/07/2026 futura-terre ⚙ Auto-translated
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
V. Fischer, N. Bardet, and M. Guiomar, P. Godefroit. 2014. High diversity in Cretaceous ichthyosaurs from Europe prior to their extinction. PLoS ONE 9(1):e84709 DOI ↗
Bibliography (2)
V. Fischer, N. Bardet, and R. B. J. Benson, M. S. Arkhangelsky, M. Friedman. 2016. Extinction of fish-shaped marine reptiles associated with reduced evolutionary rates and global environmental volatility. Nature Communications 7(10825):1-11 DOI ↗
V. Fischer, N. Bardet, and M. Guiomar, P. Godefroit. 2014. High diversity in Cretaceous ichthyosaurs from Europe prior to their extinction. PLoS ONE 9(1):e84709 DOI ↗