Mycterosaurus: Research Database
Theropoda · Cretaceous · Unknown
Research Note: Mycterosaurus was a theropoda from the Cretaceous of Unknown, providing important data on prehistoric life and ecosystem dynamics.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berman Reisz 1982: Mycterosaurus and related taxa Annals of the Carnegie Museum | Confirmed | A | 1982 | Fossil | Berman Reisz, Annals of the Carnegie Museum | Taxonomy |
Brocklehurst Reisz Fernandez 2016: Mycterosaurus and related taxa PLOS ONE | Confirmed | B | 2016 | Fossil | Brocklehurst Reisz Fernandez, PLOS ONE | Taxonomy |
What We Still Do Not Know About Mycterosaurus
- Complete skeletal morphology and ecological role.
- Phylogenetic relationships within Theropoda.
- Distribution and evolutionary history.
In Depth
Mycterosaurus was a varanopid pelycosaur that lived in the USA during the Permian. The small size of Mycterosaurus is suggestive that this genus was as predator of small vertebrates and possible larger invertebrates. As a member of the Varanopidae, Mycterosaurus would have been a relative of such genera as Varanops, Varanodon and Varanosaurus.
Further Reading
- A New Genus and Species of American Theromorpha: Mycterosaurus longiceps. - Journal of Geology 23(6):554-559 - Samuel Wendell Williston - 1915. – Restudy of Mycterosaurus longiceps (Reptilia, Pelycosauria) From the Lower Permian of Texas. – Annals of Carnegie Museum. 51: 423–453. – David S. Berman & Robert R. Reisz – 1982. – A Re-Description of ‘Mycterosaurus’ smithae, an Early Permian Eothyridid, and Its Impact on the Phylogeny of Pelycosaurian-Grade Synapsids. – PLOS ONE. 11 (6). – Neil Brocklehurst, Robert R. Reisz, Vincent Fernandez & J�rg Fr�bisch – 2016.
