Clidastes

Clidastes Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
Clidastes liodontus and a toxocheylid turtle
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Scleroglossa
Family:	Mosasauridae
Subfamily:	Mosasaurinae
Tribe:	Mosasaurini
Genus:	Clidastes Cope, 1868
Species
C. propython Cope, 1869 (neotype) C. iguanavus Cope, 1868 C. liodontus Merriam, 1894 C. "moorevillensis" Bell, 1997

Clidastes (meaning 'locked vertebrae') is an extinct genus of mosasaur lizard from marine environments of the Late Cretaceous.

Clidastes liodontus

C. propython

Clidastes velox fossil, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris

Restoration of Clidastes propython

Clidastes was an agile and fast swimmer that cruised the surface or shallow waters hunting for fish, flying reptiles and anything that got too close.

Appearance

Clidastes was the smallest of the mosasaurs, averaging 2–4 meters (7–12 feet) in length, with the largest specimens reaching 6.2 meters (20 feet) long. It possessed a delicate and slim form with an expansion of the neural spines and chevrons near the tip of the tail and this enabled it to chase down the fastest of prey.

References

• Cope, E.D. 1868. On new species of extinct reptiles. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 20: 181.

• Cope, E.D. 1869.On the reptilian orders, Pythonomorpha and Streptosauria. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History 12: 250–266.

• ICZN, 1993. Opinion 1750. Clidastes Cope, 1868 (Reptilia, Sauria): C. propython Cope, 1869 designated as the type species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 50: 297.

• Merriam, J.C. 1894. Ueber die Pythonomorphen der Kansas−Kreide. Palaeontographica 41: 1–39.

• Kiernan, C.R. 1992.Clidastes Cope, 1868 (Reptilia, Sauria): proposed designation of Clidastes propython Cope, 1869 as the type species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 49: 137–139.

This article about a prehistoric lizard is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Mosasaurs Prehistoric reptiles of North America Prehistoric lizard stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Krasnoarmeysky Second master Look at other dictionaries: Clidastes — prophyton in einer Lebendrekonstruktion Zeitraum Cenomanium bis Coniacium 99,6 bis 85,8 Mio. Jahre Fundorte …   Deutsch Wikipedia Clidastes — Cli*das tes, n. [NL., prob. from Gr. klei s key.] (Paleon.) A genus of extinct marine reptiles, allied to the Mosasaurus. See Illust. in Appendix. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English Clidastes —   Clidastes Rango temporal: Cretácico superior …   Wikipedia Español Clidastes — ▪ fossil reptile       extinct ancient marine lizards (lizard) belonging to a family of reptiles (reptile) called mosasaurs (mosasaur). Clidastes fossils are found in marine rocks from the Late Cretaceous Period (99 million to 65 million years… …   Universalium Clidastes — Le clidastes est un reptile marin désormais éteint de la famille des mosasauridae. Il pouvait atteindre 4 m de long avec une tête pouvant aller jusqu au 60 cm. Cet animal se nourrissait principalement d ammonites ou de poissons. Portail de la… …   Wikipédia en Français clidastes — cli·das·tes …   English syllables clidastes — klīˈda(ˌ) stēz noun Usage: capitalized Etymology: New Latin, probably irregular from Greek kleid , kleis key; akin to Latin claudere to shut more at close : a genus of large extinct No. American Cretaceous fish eating marine lizards in many… …   Useful english dictionary Mosasaur — Mosasaurs Temporal range: Late Cretaceous …   Wikipedia Mosasauridae —  Ne doit pas être confondu avec Mesosauridae. Mosasauridae …   Wikipédia en Français Mosasauridae —   Mosasauridae Rango temporal: Cretácico superior …   Wikipedia Español 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”