List of mosasaur genera

This list of mosasaurs is a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the family Mosasauridae or the parent clade Mosasauroidea, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera that are now considered invalid, doubtful (nomen dubium), or were not formally published (nomen nudum), as well as junior synonyms of more established names, and genera that are no longer considered mosasauroid. Non-mosasaurid mosasauroids shall be noted as such. The list currently includes 91 genera, out of which 57 are considered valid (47 mosasaurids and 10 other mosasauroids).

Tylosaurus proriger mounted skeleton in the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, Colorado

Scope and terminology

There is no official, canonical list of mosasaur genera but one of the most thorough attempts can be found on the "Pythonomorpha" section of Mikko Haaramo's Phylogeny Archive.

Naming conventions and terminology follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Technical terms used include:

• Junior synonym: A name which describes the same taxon as a previously published name. If two or more genera are formally designated and the type specimens are later assigned to the same genus, the first to be published (in chronological order) is the senior synonym, and all other instances are junior synonyms. Senior synonyms are generally used, except by special decision of the ICZN, but junior synonyms cannot be used again, even if deprecated. Junior synonymy is often subjective, unless the genera described were both based on the same type specimen.
• Nomen nudum (Latin for "naked name"): A name that has appeared in print but has not yet been formally published by the standards of the ICZN. Nomina nuda (the plural form) are invalid, and are therefore not italicized as a proper generic name would be. If the name is later formally published, that name is no longer a nomen nudum and will be italicized on this list. Often, the formally published name will differ from any nomina nuda that describe the same specimen. In this case, these nomina nuda will be deleted from this list in favor of the published name.
• Preoccupied name: A name that is formally published, but which has already been used for another taxon. This second use is invalid (as are all subsequent uses) and the name must be replaced. As preoccupied names are not valid generic names, they will also go unitalicized on this list.
• Nomen dubium (Latin for "dubious name"): A name describing a fossil with no unique diagnostic features.

Mosasaur genera

Genus Authors Year Status Location Notes Acteosaurus Meyer 1860 Valid  Slovenia More basal than the Mosasauridae, potentially a non-mosasaurid mosasauroid, though likely more basal.[1] Perhaps a dolichosaurid. Adriosaurus Seeley 1881 Valid  Slovenia More basal than the Mosasauridae, its position within Squamata is uncertain. Aigialosaurus Kramberger 1892 Valid  Croatia Non-mosasaurid mosasauroid, classified within the Aigialosauridae. Amphekepubis Mehl 1930 Nomen dubium  Mexico Possible junior synonym of Mosasaurus. Amphorosteus Gibbs 1851 Nomen dubium  USA Nomen dubium Ancylocentrum Schmidt 1927 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Prognathodon. Angolasaurus Telles-Antunes 1964 Valid  Angola  Niger  USA  Brazil Baptosaurus Marsh 1870 Jr. synonym N/A Junior synonym of Halisaurus. Baseodon Leidy 1865 Jr. synonym N/A Junior synonym of Mosasaurus. Batrachiosaurus Harlan 1839 Jr. synonym N/A Junior synonym of Mosasaurus. Bentiabasaurus Polcyn Schulp Gonçalves 2023 Valid  Angola Brachysaurana Strand 1928 Jr. synonym N/A Junior synonym of Prognathodon. Brachysaurus Williston 1897 Preoccupied N/A Preoccupied by a junior synonym of an iguanian lizard genus, Stenocercus;[2] referred to replacement names Brachysaurana and Ancylocentrum, of which Ancylocentrum has priority as such. Carinodens Woodward 1891 Valid  Morocco  Netherlands  Ukraine  Russia  Belgium Carsosaurus Kornhuber 1893 Valid  Slovenia Clidastes Cope 1868 Valid  Russia  Jordan  Germany  USA  Sweden  Mexico Compressidens Dollo 1924 Preoccupied N/A Preoccupied by a tusk shell; later renamed Carinodens. Dallasaurus Polcyn Bell 2005 Valid  USA Dolichosaurus Owen 1894 Valid  UK Non-mosasaurid mosasauroid. Dollosaurus Yakovlev 1901 Disputed  Spain  Sweden  Russia Possible junior synonym of Prognathodon. Ectenosaurus Russell 1967 Valid  USA Edestosaurus Marsh 1871 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Clidastes. Eidolosaurus Nopcsa 1923 Valid  Slovenia Potentially a non-mosasaurid mosasauroid, though has an uncertain phylogenetic placement. Elliptonodon Emmons 1858 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Tylosaurus. Eonatator Bardet Pereda Suberbiola Iarochène Bouya Amaghzaz 2005 Valid  Colombia  Sweden Eremiasaurus[3] Leblanc Caldwell Bardet 2012 Valid  Morocco Type species is Eremiasaurus heterodontus. Gavialimimus[4] Strong Caldwell Konishi Palci 2020 Valid  Morocco Globidens Gilmore 1912 Valid  USA  Belgium  Jordan  Angola  Syria  Morocco  Egypt  Brazil  Indonesia Gnathomortis[5] Lively 2020 Valid  USA Goronyosaurus Azzaroli de Guili Ficcarelli Torre 1972 Valid  Morocco Haasiasaurus Polcyn Tchernov Jacobs 2003 Valid  State of Palestine Hainosaurus Dollo 1885 Valid  Sweden  Russia  Poland  USA  France  Belgium  Spain Halisaurus Marsh 1869 Valid  Morocco  Niger  Jordan  Peru  DRC  USA  Belgium Renamed Baptosaurus Marsh, 1870 when Marsh thought the name was preoccupied by a fish: Halosaurus. Modern rules allow the original. Harranasaurus[6] Kaddumi 2009 Valid  Jordan Holcodus Gibbs 1851 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Platecarpus. Holosaurus Marsh 1880 Preoccupied Referred to Platecarpus. Hydrosaurus Kornhuber 1873 Preoccupied Preoccupied by an agamid lizard; renamed Pontosaurus. Igdamanosaurus Zdansky 1935 Valid  Niger  Egypt  Morocco Jormungandr Zietlow Boyd Van Vranken 2023 Valid  USA Kaikaifilu Otero Soto-Acuña Rubilar-Rogers Gutstein 2016 Valid  Antarctica Khinjaria[7] Longrich Polcyn Jalil Pereda-Superbiola Bardet 2024 In press  Morocco Kolposaurus Camp 1942 Preoccupied Preoccupied by a junior synonym of Nothosaurus,[8] referred to Plotosaurus Komensaurus Caldwell Palci 2007 Valid  Slovenia Kourisodon Nicholls Meckert 2002 Valid  Japan  Canada Lakumasaurus Novas Fernandez Gasparini de Lirio Mumez Puerta 2002 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Taniwhasaurus. Latoplatecarpus[9] Konishi Caldwell 2011 Valid  Canada Type species is Latoplatecarpus willistoni. A second species is Latoplatecarpus nichollsae originally described in genus Plioplatecarpus.[10] Leiodon Owen 1841 Preoccupied  Spain  Ukraine  UK Preoccupied by a fish, referred to Liodon. Lesticodus Leidy 1861 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Mosasaurus. Lestosaurus Marsh 1872 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Platecarpus. Liodon Agassiz 1846 Nomen dubium  USA  Germany  New Zealand  Angola Dubious genus due to the fragmentary nature of the type specimen and the type species L. anceps. All species referred to it likely do not belong to the same genus. Macrosaurus Owen 1849 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Halisaurus. Megapterygius[11] Konishi Ohara Misaki Matsuoka Street Caldwell 2023 Valid  Japan Mesoleptos Cornalia 1851 Valid  Croatia  Slovenia  State of Palestine More basal than the Mosasauridae, its position within Squamata is uncertain. Moanasaurus Wiffen 1980 Valid Mosasaurus Conybeare 1822 Valid  UK  Bulgaria  Canada  New Zealand  Netherlands  Turkey  Poland  Angola  USA  DRC  Russia  South Africa  Sweden  Poland  Syria  Spain  Japan  Denmark  Belgium  Niger  Italy  Jordan  Morocco Nectoportheus Cope 1868 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Mosasaurus. Opetiosaurus Kornhuber 1901 Disputed Possible junior synonym of Aigialosaurus. Oterognathus Dollo 1889 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Plioplatecarpus. Pannoniasaurus Makádi Caldwell Ősi 2012 Valid Phosphorosaurus Dollo 1889 Valid  Angola Platecarpus Cope 1869 Valid  USA  Angola  Russia  Syria  Egypt  Sweden  Morocco  Jordan  Canada  Brazil  Spain  Niger  Australia Plesioplatecarpus[9] Konishi Caldwell 2011 Valid Type species is Plesioplatecarpus planifrons, originally described in genus Clidastes, and later recombined in Platecarpus. Plesiotylosaurus Camp 1942 Valid Plioplatecarpus Dollo 1882 Valid  USA Plotosaurus Camp 1951 Valid  USA Pluridens Lingham-Sollar 1998 Valid  Niger Pontosaurus Kornhuber 1873 Valid  Croatia  Lebanon Potentially a non-mosasaurid mosasauroid, though has an uncertain phylogenetic placement. Portunatasaurus Campbell Mekarski Japundžić Krizmanić Caldwell 2019 Valid  Croatia Non-mosasaurid mosasauroid. Proaigialosaurus Kuhn 1958 Valid Non-mosasaurid mosasauroid, classified within the Aigialosauridae. Prognathodon Dollo 1889 Valid  Belgium  USA  Saudi Arabia  Spain  Israel  Angola  Italy  New Zealand  DRC  Russia  Canada  Poland  France  Germany  Netherlands  Syria  Jordan Possibly paraphyletic. Prognathosaurus Dollo 1889 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Prognathodon. Pterycollosaurus Dollo 1882 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Mosasaurus. Rhamphosaurus Cope 1872 Preoccupied Preoccupied by another lizard, referred to Tylosaurus. Rhinosaurus Marsh 1872 Preoccupied Preoccupied,[12] referred to Tylosaurus. Rikisaurus[13] Wiffen 1990 Jr. synonym  New Zealand Junior synonym of Moanasaurus. Rikkisaurus Bell Caldwell Holmes Wiffen McKee 1999 Lapsus calami Lapsus calami of Rikisaurus. Romeosaurus[14] Palci Caldwell Papzzoni 2013 Valid  Italy Russellosaurus[15] Polson Bell 2005 Valid  USA Sarabosaurus Polcyn Bardet Albright Titus 2023 Valid  USA Saurochampsa Wagler 1830 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Mosasaurus. Selmasaurus[16] Wright Shannon 1988 Valid  USA Sironectes Cope 1840 Jr. synonym Junior synonym of Platecarpus. Stelladens Longrich Jalil Pereda-Suberbiola Bardet 2023 Valid  Morocco Taniwhasaurus Hector 1874 Valid  Antarctica  New Zealand  Japan Tethysaurus[17] Bardet Superbiola Jalil 2003 Valid  Morocco Thalassotitan Longrich Jalil Khaldoune Yazami Pereda-Suberbiola Bardet 2022 Valid  Morocco Tylosaurus Marsh 1872 Valid  USA  Canada  Spain  Jordan  Mexico  Sweden  New Zealand Vallecillosaurus[18] Smith Buchy 2008 Valid  Mexico More basal than the Mosasauridae, its position within Squamata is uncertain. Xenodens Longrich Bardet Schulp Jalil 2021 Valid  Morocco Yaguarasaurus Paramo 1994 Valid  Colombia		Aigialosaurus. Clidastes. Globidens. Goronyosaurus. Hainosaurus. Halisaurus. Harranasaurus. Latoplatecarpus. Mosasaurus. Platecarpus. Plesioplatecarpus. Plioplatecarpus. Plotosaurus. Prognathodon. Selmasaurus. Taniwhasaurus. Tylosaurus. Vallecillosaurus.

See also

• Mosasaur
• Platynota
• Aigialosaur

Notes

1. Redescription of Acteosaurus tommasinii von Meyer, 1860, and a discussion of evolutionary trends within the clade Ophidiomorpha. 2010.
2. Stenocercus at Herpbreeder.com Archived April 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12-03-2007.
3. Leblanc, A.R.H.; Caldwell, M.W.; Bardet, N. (2012). "A new mosasaurine from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) phosphates of Morocco and its implications for mosasaurine systematics". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (1): 82–104. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.624145. S2CID 130559113.
4. Catherine R. C. Strong; Michael W. Caldwell; Takuya Konishi; Alessandro Palci (2020). "A new species of longirostrine plioplatecarpine mosasaur (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco, with a re-evaluation of the problematic taxon 'Platecarpus' ptychodon". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 18 (21): 1769–1804. doi:10.1080/14772019.2020.1818322.
5. Lively, J.R. (2020). "Redescription and phylogenetic assessment of 'Prognathodon' stadtmani: implications for Globidensini monophyly and character homology in Mosasaurinae". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 40 (3): e1784183. doi:10.1080/02724634.2020.1784183.
6. Kaddumi, Hani F. (2009). "A new durophagous mosasaur (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Maastrichtian Muwaqqar Chalk Marl Formation of the Harrana Fauna". Fossils of the Harrana Fauna and the Adjacent Areas. Amman: Eternal River Museum of Natural History. pp. 36–48. OCLC 709582892.
7. Longrich, Nicholas R.; Polcyn, Michael J.; Jalil, Nour-Eddine; Pereda-Suberbiola, Xabier; Bardet, Nathalie (2024-03-01). "A bizarre new plioplatecarpine mosasaurid from the Maastrichtian of Morocco". Cretaceous Research: 105870. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2024.105870. ISSN 0195-6671.
8. Sauropterygia at Paleofile.com. Retrieved 12-03-2007.
9. Konishi, T.; Caldwell, M.W. (2011). "Two new plioplatecarpine (Squamata, Mosasauridae) genera from the Upper Cretaceous of North America, and a global phylogenetic analysis of plioplatecarpines". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 31 (4): 754–783. doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.579023. S2CID 85972311.
10. Cuthbertson, R.S.; Mallon, J.C.; Campione, N.E.; Holmes, R.B. (2007). "A new species of mosasaur (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Pierre Shale (lower Campanian) of Manitoba". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 44 (5): 593–606. Bibcode:2007CaJES..44..593C. doi:10.1139/e07-006.
11. Konishi, Takuya; Ohara, Masaaki; Misaki, Akihiro; Matsuoka, Hiroshige; Street, Hallie P.; Caldwell, Michael W. (2023). "A new derived mosasaurine (Squamata: Mosasaurinae) from south-western Japan reveals unexpected postcranial diversity among hydropedal mosasaurs". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 21 (1). doi:10.1080/14772019.2023.2277921. ISSN 1477-2019.
12. Edward Drinker Cope "On the structure of the Pythonomorpha". (1872) Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 24:140-141
13. Wiffen, J. 1990: New mosasaurs (Reptilia; family Mosasauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of North Island, New Zealand. New Zealand journal of geology and geophysics, 33: 67-85.
14. Alessandro Palci, Michael W. Caldwell and Cesare A. Papazzoni (2013). "A new genus and subfamily of mosasaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of northern Italy". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33 (3): 599–612. doi:10.1080/02724634.2013.731024. S2CID 86646993.
15. Polcyn, M. J. & Bell Jr., G. L., 2005: Russellosaurus coheni n. gen., n. sp., a 92 million-year-old mosasaur from Texas (USA), and the definition of the parafamily Russellosaurina. –Netherlands Journal of Geosciences: Vol. 84, #3.
16. Wright, K. R. & Shannon, S. W., 1988: Selmasaurus russelli, a new plioplatecarpine mosasaur (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from Alabama. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol. 8, #1, pp. 102-107
17. Bardet, N., X. Pereda Suberbiola, and N-E. Jalil. 2003. A new mosasauroid (Squamata) from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of Morocco. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Palevol 2:607–616.
18. Smith, K.T. and Buchy, M-C. 2008 A new aigialosaur (Squamata-Anguimorpha) with soft tissue remains from the Upper Cretaceous of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28(1): 85-94.

References

• "Pythonomorpha – snake-like squamates". Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Archived from the original on January 23, 2008.
• "Mosasauridae Translation and Pronunciation Guide (by Ben Creisler)". Dinosauria.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008.