Purranisaurus

Purranisaurus Temporal range: 167–150 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Callovian - Tithonian
Purranisaurus casamiquelai
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
(unranked):	Mesoeucrocodylia
Suborder:	Thalattosuchia
Family:	Metriorhynchidae
Genus:	Purranisaurus Rusconi, 1948 [1]
Species
P. casamiquelai Gasparini & Chong, 1977 [2] P. westermanni Gasparini, 1980 [3] P. potens Rusconi, 1948 (type)

Purranisaurus is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform from the Middle to Late Jurassic period of Chile and Argentina. Rusconi originally regarded Purranisaurus potens (the type species) to be a plesiosaur;^[1] however, Gasparini demonstrated that it was in fact a metriorhynchid crocodyliform, and that may be a junior synonym of Metriorhynchus.^[4]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

In the 2000s phylogenetic analysis has shown that Purranisaurus is a distinct metriorhynchid genus.^[5][6] A subsequent study expanded the genus Purranisaurus to include Metriorhynchus casamiquelai and M. westermanni.^[7]

Valid species

• P. casamiquelai: Middle Jurassic of Chile (Callovian);^[2]
• P. westermanni: Middle Jurassic of Chile (Callovian). Although previously considered a junior synonym of P. casamiquelai,^[8] it has been revalidated;^[9]
• P. potens: End Jurassic of Argentina (Tithonian).

References

1. Rusconi C. 1948. Nuevo plesiosaurio, pez y langostas del mar jurasico de Mendoza. Mendoza, Mus. Hist. Nat., Rev. 2: 3–12.
2. Gasparini Z, Chong G. 1977. Metriorhynchus casamiquelai n. sp. (Crocodilia, Thalattosuchia) a marine crocodile from the Jurassic (Callovian) of Chile, South America. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 153 (3): 341-360.
3. Gasparini ZB. 1980. Un nuevo cocodrilo marino (Crocodylia, Metriorhynchidae) del Caloviano del norte de Chile. Ameghiniana 17: 97–103.
4. Gasparini Z. 1975. Revison de ?Purranisaurus potens RUSCONI, 1948 (Crocodilia, Thalattosuchia) Los Thalattosuchia como un nuevo Infraorden de los Crocodilia. Actas del Congreso Geologico Argentino 5: 423–431.
5. Young MT. 2007. The evolution and interrelationships of Metriorhynchidae (Crocodyliformes, Thalattosuchia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27 (3): 170A.
6. Young, Mark T., and Marco Brandalise de Andrade, 2009. "What is Geosaurus? Redescription of Geosaurus giganteus (Thalattosuchia: Metriorhynchidae) from the Upper Jurassic of Bayern, Germany." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 157: 551-585.
7. Young, Mark T., Brusatte, Stephen L., Ruta, M., Andrade, Marco B. 2009. "The evolution of Metriorhynchoidea (Mesoeucrocodylia, Thalattosuchia): an integrated approach using geometrics morphometrics, analysis of disparity and biomechanics". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 158: 801-859.
8. Gasparini Z, Vignaud P, Chong G. 2000. The Jurassic Thalattosuchia (Crocodyliformes) of Chile: a paleobiogeographic approach. Bulletin Société Géologique de France 171 (6): 657-664
9. Gasparini ZB, Paulina-Carabajal A, Chong G. 2008. Un nuevo espécimen de cocodrilo marino del Jurásico Medio del norte de Chile: revalidación de Metriorhynchus westermanni (Crocodyliformes: Metriorhynchidae). Revista Geológica de Chile 35 (2): 335-346.