Genus
Valid Extinct

Stenopterygius

Jaekel 1904

Stenopterygius is an extinct genus of thunnosaur ichthyosaur known from Europe. It was a medium-sized ichthyosaur, with multiple well-preserved specimans, including one which preserved evidence of countershading, blubber and a raised, homeothermic metabolism. as well as a female speciman that died in childbirth that showed that the genus preferred tail-first births similar to modern cetaceans.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
47
Group
Ichtyosaures
Carnivore nektonic Marine
Stenopterygius
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Stenopterygius quadriscissus © Haplochromis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Ichthyosauria Unranked clade
›
Parvipelvia Unranked clade
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Neoichthyosauria Unranked clade
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Thunnosauria Unranked clade
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Stenopterygius Genus
Measurements
Length
3,15 m ⓘ
Fossil sites 47 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇩🇪 Germany
42
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
2
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
2
🇫🇷 France
1
Geological formations
Posidonia Shale
21
Opalinuston
4
Beacon Limstone
1
Temporal distribution
Aalenian (174.7–170.9 Ma)
4
Toarcian (184.2–174.7 Ma)
43
Species (14)
Stenopterygius aaleniensis 175 Ma
Stenopterygius banzensis nomen dubium, species not entered Stenopterygius
Stenopterygius cayi
Stenopterygius cuneiceps 184 Ma
Stenopterygius hauffianus nomen dubium, species not entered Stenopterygius 184 Ma
Stenopterygius longifrons 184 Ma
Stenopterygius longipes
Stenopterygius macrophasma 184 Ma
Stenopterygius megacephalus 184 Ma
Stenopterygius megalorhinus 184 Ma
Stenopterygius promegacelaphus nomen dubium, species not entered Stenopterygius
Stenopterygius quadriscissus 184 Ma
Stenopterygius triscissus 184 Ma
Stenopterygius uniter 184 Ma
Synonyms (3)
Stenopterygius banzensis nomen dubium, species not entered Stenopterygius
Stenopterygius hauffianus nomen dubium, species not entered Stenopterygius
Stenopterygius promegacelaphus nomen dubium, species not entered Stenopterygius
Images 3
Bibliography
Original description
J. J., Jr. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560
Bibliography (7)
E. E. Maxwell, M. S. Fernández, and R. R. Schoch. 2012. First diagnostic marine reptile remains from the Aalenian (Middle Jurassic): a new ichthyosaur from southwestern Germany. PLoS ONE 7(8):e41692 DOI ↗
H. Caine and M. J. Benton. 2011. Ichthyosauria from the Upper Lias of Strawberry Bank, England. Palaeontology 54(5):1069-1093 DOI ↗
D. Delsate and R. Weis. 2010. La Couche à Crassum (Toarcien moyen) au Luxembourg: stratigraphie et faunes de la coupe de Dudelange-Zoufftgen. Ferrantia 62:35-62
M. W. Maisch. 2008. Revision der gattung Stenopterygius Jaekel, 1904 emend. von Huene, 1922 (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) aus dem unteren Jura Westeuropas. Palaeodiversity 1:227-271
M. W. Maisch and J. Ansorge. 2004. The Liassic ichthyosaur Stenopterygius cf. quadriscissus from the Lower Toarcian of Dobbertin (northeastern Germany) and some considerations on Lower Toarcian marine reptile palaeobiogeography. Palaeontologische Zeitschrift 78(1):161-171 DOI ↗
T. Bürgin. 2000. Euthynotus cf. incognitus (Actinopterygii, Pachycormidae) als Mageninhalt eines Fischsauriers aus dem Posidonienschiefer Süddeutchlands (Unterer Jura, Lias epsilon). Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae 93:491-496
C. McGowan. 1978. Further evidence for the wide geographical distribution of ichthyosaur taxa (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria). Journal of Paleontology 52(5):1155-1162