Benjamin P Kear

Academic paper

Records of the South Australian Museum

34

2

127-133

A near complete basioccipital and associated elements belonging to a juvenile elasmosaur are described from the Early Cretaceous (upper Albian) of northern Queensland. This is the first record of well-preserved elasmosaur basicranial remains from Australia. The basioccipital is comparable to those known from other elasmosaurs but is unusual in the contribution of the exoccipital-opisthotic facet to the margin of the occipital condyle (but not to its articular surface) and dorsal termination of the condylar groove. The significance of this morphology is discussed.

English