Barracudasauroides

Name: Barracudasauroides ‭(‬Barracuda lizard like‭)‬.
Phonetic: Bar-rah-ku-dah-sore-oyd-eez
Named By: Maisch‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.
Synonyms: Mixosaurus panxianensis.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia, Ichthyosauria, Mixosauria, Mixosauridae.
Species: B.‭ ‬panxianensis‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Piscivore.
Size: Uncertain,‭ ‬but possibly around‭ ‬1‭ ‬meter long.
Known locations: China,‭ ‬Guizhou Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Guanling Formation.
Time period: Mid Triassic.
Fossil representation: Partial skeleton.

       Barracudasauroides was named from fossils that were originally attributed to Mixosaurus as M.‭ ‬panxianensis.‭ ‬Barracudasauroides itself represents a transitional ichthyosaur similar to Mixosaurus which is seen as a link between primitive and advanced ichthyosaurs.‭ ‬Since its naming Barracudasauroides is sometimes confused with another ichthyosaur that is named Barracudasaurus‭ ‬that is also from the same formation.‭ ‬However the future of Barracudasaurus has been cast in doubt regarding its validity as representing a specific genus on the basis of the lack of characteristic features in the holotype material.

Further reading
- A new Mixosaurid Ichthyosaur from the Middle Triassic of China". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 26 (1): 60–69. - Da-Yong Jiang, Lars Schmitz, Wei-Cheng Hao & Yuan-Lin Sun - 2006.

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