Aptychodon (meaning "unwrinkled tooth") is an extinct genus of plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the Czech Republic. The type species is A. cretaceus.Sepkoski, J.J. (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560
Discovery and naming
The holotype consists of incompletely preserved teeth and they were discovered at White Mountain near Prague, Czech Republic.Aptychodon in the Paleobiology Database They were then sent to the Prague Museum before von Reuss (1855) described the teeth and created the species Aptychodon cretaceius.
Description The teeth of Aptychodon are conical and curved towards one side despite mostly being straight. They also measure between and in length.
Classification Aptychodon has been classified as a potential synonym of Polyptychodon interruptus by later authors. Most authors classify Aptychodon within a basal position in Plesiosauria.
See also Timeline of plesiosaur research List of plesiosaur genera
References