A new Plotosaurini mosasaur skull from the upper Maastrichtian of Antarctica. Plotosaurini paleogeographic occurrences

GONZÁLEZ RUIZ, PABLO; FERNÁNDEZ, MARTA S.; TALEVI, MARIANELLA; LEARDI, JUAN M.; REGUERO, MARCELO A.

CRETACEOUS RESEARCH (PRINT)

ACADEMIC PRESS LTD-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2019 vol. 103

0195-6671

During the Antarctic summer campaigns and as a result of paleontological fieldworks 2013e2015 several mosasaur remains have been collected from the upper Maastrichtian Lopez de Bertodano Formation exposed at Marambio (¼Seymour) Island, of the Antarctic Peninsula. One of these specimens preserves part of the skull and dentition, which represent one of the few known skulls from Antarctica. The new specimen (MLP 15-I-24-41) is similar to member of the mosasaur tribe Plotosaurini, sharing the same fronto-parietal suture pattern, and a similar dental morphology as some of the species assigned to the genus. As the specimen is not complete enough to propose a new name it is referred to Mosasaurus sp. The presence of these remains on the southern hemisphere represents one of the most complete records of a Mosasaurus mosasaur.