The ichthyopterygian Utatsusaurus hataii Shikama et al. 1978 is the only valid reptilian taxon known from the Lower Triassic Osawa Formation in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, which records the recovery of the marine ecosystem shortly after the end-Permian mass extinction. In this paper, we describe a fragmentary specimen of an indeterminate ichthyopterygian which is distinguished from Utatsusaurus hataii based on rib morphology. The discovery of a previously unknown ichthyopterygian implies that the taxonomic diversity of the reptilian fauna of this formation is higher than previously assumed.
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1 October 2014
An Early Triassic Ichthyopterygian Fossil from the Osawa Formation in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Yui Takahashi,
Yasuhisa Nakajima,
Tamaki Sato
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Paleontological Research
Vol. 18 • No. 4
October 2014
Vol. 18 • No. 4
October 2014
Early Triassic
Ichthyopterygia
marine reptile
Osawa Formation
Utatsusaurus