Echidnocephalus
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| Echidnocephalus Temporal range:
Possible Coniacian and Maastrichtian occurrence | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil of Echidnocephalus troscheli | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Notacanthiformes |
| Family: | Halosauridae |
| Genus: | †Echidnocephalus von der Marck, 1858 |
| Type species | |
| †Echidnocephalus troscheli von der Marck, 1858 | |
| Species[1] | |
| |
Echidnocephalus (Greek for "Echidna's head") is an extinct genus of prehistoric halosaur known from the Late Cretaceous. It is the earliest known definitive member of the order Notacanthiformes.[2]
It contains one definitive species known from complete and partial specimens: E. troscheli (=E. tenuicaudus von der Marck, 1858) from the late Campanian-aged Ahlen Formation of Westphalia, Germany.[3] These body fossils suggest an animal already very similar to modern halosaurs.[2]
In addition, two disputed species known only from isolated fossil scales very similar to those of modern halosaurs have been described from North America: ?E. americanus Cockerell, 1919 from the Coniacian-aged Mancos Shale of Wyoming and ?E. pacificus Cockerell, 1919 from the Maastrichtian-aged Moreno Formation of California.[4][5]
