Genus
Valid Extinct

Merriamosaurus

Maisch and Matzke 2002

Pessopteryx is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur from the Early Triassic (Olenekian) of Svalbard, Norway. The genus originally contained four species, P. nisseri, P. arctica, P. pinguis, and P. minor, which were named in 1910 by Carl Wiman. Only P. nisseri is still considered valid; P. arctica and P. pinguis are considered nomina dubia while P. minor was reassigned to the tenuous genus Isfjordosaurus. Omphalosaurus nisseri, Merriamosaurus hulkei, and Rotundopteryx hulkei are all junior synonyms of P. nisseri.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
1
Group
Ichtyosaures
Carnivore nektonic Marine
Classification
Ichthyosauria Unranked clade
Hueneosauria Unranked clade
Merriamosauria Unranked clade
Merriamosauridae Family
Merriamosaurus Genus
Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇸🇯 SJ
1
Geological formations
Sticky Keep
1
Temporal distribution
Olenekian (249.9–246.7 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Merriamosaurus hulkei 248 Ma
Bibliography
Original description
M. W. Maisch and A. T. Matzke. 2002. Observations on Triassic ichthyosaurs. Part IX. The first associated skeletal remains of Merriamosaurus n. g. (Ichthyosauria, Lower Triassic) and their bearing on the systematic position of the Omphalosauria. Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Palaontologie, Abhandlungen 226(1):59-94 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
M. W. Maisch and A. T. Matzke. 2002. Observations on Triassic ichthyosaurs. Part IX. The first associated skeletal remains of Merriamosaurus n. g. (Ichthyosauria, Lower Triassic) and their bearing on the systematic position of the Omphalosauria. Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Palaontologie, Abhandlungen 226(1):59-94 DOI ↗