Genus
Valid Extinct

Corosaurus

Case 1936

Corosaurus is an extinct genus of pistosauroid known from Wyoming of the United States. The holotype measured about 1.65 m (5.4 ft) long, while larger specimens would have belonged to individuals measuring more than 4 m (13 ft) long.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
4
Group
Sauroptérygiens
Marine
Corosaurus
click to enlarge
Early Triassic marine vertebrate apex predators during the Griesbachian to Smithian interval (left) and the Spathian to Anisian interval (right). Predators not exactly to scale; see text and Tables S1–S2 for details on body size and stratigraphic occurrence. Marine vertebrate apex predators: 1, Wantzosaurus (trematosaurid ‘amphibian’); 2, Fadenia (eugeneodontiform chondrichthyan); 3, Saurichthys (actinopterygian ambush predator); 4, Rebellatrix (fork-tailed actinistian); 5, Hovasaurus (‘younginiform’ diapsid reptile); 6, Birgeria (fast-swimming predatory actinopterygian); 7, Aphaneramma (trematosaurid ‘amphibian’); 8, Bobasatrania (durophagous actinopterygian); 9, hybodontoid chondrichthyan with durophagous (e.g. Acrodus, Palaeobates) or tearing-type dentition (e.g. Hybodus); 10, e.g., Mylacanthus (durophagous actinistian); 11, Tanystropheus (protorosaurian reptile); 12, Corosaurus (sauropterygian reptile); 13, e.g., Ticinepomis (actinistian); 14, Mixosaurus (small ichthyosaur); 15, large cymbospondylid/shastasaurid ichthyosaur; 16, neoselachian chondrichthyan; 17, Omphalosaurus skeleton (possible durophagous ichthyosaur); 18, Placodus (durophagous sauropterygian reptile). © Printed under a CC BY license, with permission from Nadine Bösch and Beat Scheffold, original copyright [2013]. · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Sauropterygia Suborder
›
Eosauropterygia Order
›
Corosaurus Genus
Fossil sites 4 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
4
Geological formations
Crow Mountain
4
Temporal distribution
Olenekian (249.9–246.7 Ma)
4
Species (1)
Corosaurus alcovensis 248 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
J. J., Jr. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560
Bibliography (2)
O. Rieppel. 1998. Corosaurus alcovensis Case and the phylogenetic interrelationships of Triassic stem-group Sauropterygia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 124:1-41 DOI ↗
G. W. Storrs. 1991. Anatomy and relationships of Corosaurus alcovensis (Diapsida: Sauropterygia) and the Triassic Alcova Limestone of Wyoming. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 44:1-151