Genus
Valid Extinct

Ophthalmosaurus

Seeley 1874

Ophthalmosaurus is a genus of ichthyosaur known from the Middle-Late Jurassic. Possible remains from the earliest Cretaceous are also known. It was a relatively medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring 4 m (13 ft) long and weighing 940 kg (2,070 lb). Named for its extremely large eyes, it had a jaw containing many small but robust teeth. Major fossil finds of this genus have been recorded in Europe with a second species possibly being found in North America.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
27
Group
Ichtyosaures
Carnivore nektonic Marine
Ophthalmosaurus
click to enlarge
Ophthalmosaurus icenius, from the time of the Callovian period of the Middle Jurassic. This specimen was found in Oxford Clay, in Peterborough, England. Photo lightly touched up to remove lighting flares. © User:Captmondo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Ichthyosauria Unranked clade
›
Baracromia Unranked clade
›
Ophthalmosauridae Family
›
Ophthalmosaurinae Subfamily
›
Ophthalmosaurus Genus
Measurements
Length
6 m ⓘ
Fossil sites 27 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
8
🇦🇷 Argentina
6
🇷🇺 Russia
5
🇺🇸 United States
4
🇫🇷 France
2
🇬🇱 Greenland
1
🇲🇽 Mexico
1
Geological formations
Oxford Clay
7
Sundance
4
Vaca Muerta
4
La Caja
1
Spilsby Sandstone
1
Temporal distribution
Valanginian (137.05–132.6 Ma)
1
Berriasian (143.1–137.05 Ma)
2
Tithonian (149.2–143.1 Ma)
7
Kimmeridgian (154.8–149.2 Ma)
3
Oxfordian (161.5–154.8 Ma)
5
Callovian (165.3–161.5 Ma)
8
Pliensbachian (192.9–184.2 Ma)
1
Species (14)
Ancanamunia espinacitense nomen dubium, species not entered Ophthalmosaurus
Ancanamunia mendozana subjective synonym of Ophthalmosaurus icenicus 165 Ma
Khudiakovia calloviensis 165 Ma
Microdontosaurus petersonii subjective synonym of Ophthalmosaurus discus
Ophthalmosaurus discus
Ophthalmosaurus icenicus 165 Ma
Ophthalmosaurus marshi
Ophthalmosaurus monocharactus 165 Ma
Ophthalmosaurus natans 165 Ma
Ophthalmosaurus pleydelli subjective synonym of Ophthalmosaurus icenicus 165 Ma
Ophthalmosaurus reedi 165 Ma
Ophthalmosaurus robustus 168 Ma
Ophthalmosaurus undorensis 152 Ma
Ophthalmosaurus yasykovi 149 Ma
Synonyms (5)
Ancanamunia subjective synonym of Ophthalmosaurus
Ancanamunia espinacitense nomen dubium, species not entered Ophthalmosaurus
Khudiakovia subjective synonym of Ophthalmosaurus
Microdontosaurus subjective synonym of Ophthalmosaurus
Yasykovia subjective synonym of Ophthalmosaurus
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
H. G. Seeley. 1874. On the pectoral arch and fore limb of Ophthalmosaurs, a new ichthyosaurian genus from the Oxford Clay. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 30:696-707 DOI ↗
Bibliography (23)
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V. Fischer, M. W. Maisch, and D. Naish, R. Kosma, J. Liston, U. Joger, F. J. Krüger, J. Pardo Pérez, J. Tainsh, R. M. Appleby. 2012. New ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs from the European Lower Cretaceous demonstrate extensive ichthyosaur survival across the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary. PLoS One 7(1):e29234 DOI ↗
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J. A. Massare and H. A. Young. 2005. Gastric contents of an ichthyosaur from the Sundance Formation (Jurassic) of Central Wyoming. Paludicola 5(1):20-27
M. S. Fernandez. 2000. Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs from the Neuquen Basin, Argentina. Historical Biology 14(1-2):133-136 DOI ↗
G. W. Storrs, M. S. Arkhangel'skii, and V. M. Efimov. 2000. Mesozoic marine reptiles of Russia and other former Soviet republics. The age of dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia
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D. M. Martill. 1986. The stratigraphic distribution and preservation of fossil vertebrates in the Oxford Clay of England. Mercian Geologist 10(3):161-186
A. Vadet and J. M. Rose. 1986. Catalogue commente des types et figures de dinosauriens, ichthyosauriens, sauropterygiens, pterosauriens et cheloninens du Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Boulogne-sur-Mer [Annotated catalogue of the type and figured specimens of dinosaurs, ichthyosaurs, sauropterygians, pterosaurs, and turtles from the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle of Boulogne-sur-Mer]. In E. Buffetaut, J. M. Rose, & A. Vadet (eds.), Vértébrés Fossiles du Boulonnais. Mémoires de la Société Académique du Boulonnais 1(2):85-97
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C. W. Andrews. 1910. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Marine Reptiles of the Oxford Clay. Based on the Leeds Collection in the British Museum (Natural History), London. Part I DOI ↗
C. W. Gilmore. 1907. A new species of Baptanodon from the Jurassic of Wyoming. The American Journal of Science, series 4 23(135):193-198 DOI ↗
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C. W. Gilmore. 1905. Notes on osteology of Baptanodon with a description of a new species. Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum 2(9):325-337 DOI ↗
E. Fraas. 1904. Weitere Beiträge zur Fauna des Jura von Nordost-Groenland [Further contributions to the Jurassic fauna of northeast Greenland]. Meddelelser om Grønland 29:277-285
H. E. Sauvage. 1902. Recherches sur les vertébrés du Kimméridgien supérieur de Fumel (Lot-et-Garonne). Mémoires de la Société Géologique de France, Paléontologie 25:1-32