Aptychodon
Extinct genus of reptiles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aptychodon (meaning "unwrinkled tooth") is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Czech Republic. The type species is A. cretaceus.[1]
| Aptychodon Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
| |
| Teeth from the holotype of A. cretaceus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
| Order: | †Plesiosauria |
| Genus: | †Aptychodon von Reuss, 1855 |
| Type species | |
| †Aptychodon cretaceus von Reuss, 1855 | |
Discovery and naming
The holotype consists of incompletely preserved teeth and they were discovered at White Mountain near Prague, Czech Republic.[2][3] They were then sent to the Prague Museum before von Reuss (1855) described the teeth and created the species Aptychodon cretaceius.[3]
Description
Classification
Aptychodon has been classified as a potential synonym of Polyptychodon interruptus by later authors.[1] Most authors classify Aptychodon within a basal position in Plesiosauria.