Plotosaurini Russell, 1967

Conrad, J. L., 2008, Phylogeny And Systematics Of Squamata (Reptilia) Based On Morphology, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2008 (310), pp. 1-182 : 128-129

Plotosaurini Russell, 1967

(figs. 54F, 55F)

DEFINITION: All taxa sharing a more recent common ancestor with Plotosaurus bennisoni than with Mosasaurus hoffmanni or Globidens dakotensis .

DIAGNOSIS: Plotosaurins are united by 61(1) subolfactory processes of the frontal(s) partly surrounding the olfactory bulbs.

COMMENTS: Bell (1997) synonymized Mosasaurini with Plotosaurini based on the paraphyly of the nominal taxon Mosasaurus as Russell (1967) and several others had conceived of that clade. However, no taxon name at the level of ‘‘superfamily’’ or below may contain the type species of Mosasaurus ( M. hoffmanni ) and have their basis in a generic name other than Mosasaurus (International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature, 2000).

The current topology would yield Mosasaurini Gervais, 1853 exclusive of a Globidensini Dollo, 1924 and Plotosaurini Russell, 1967 monogeneric. Similarly, the current topology and taxonomic sampling would yield a Globidensini exclusive of Mosasaurus and Plotosaurini monogeneric (although Carinodens almost certainly would belong to Globidensini ). Thus, neither Mosasaurini nor Globidensini are used here, and Plotosaurini is redefined. Russell (1967) originally includ- ed only Plotosaurus in his Plotosaurini . The name is applied here to all taxa that would not be subsumed by Globidensini or Mosasaurini if those clades are someday deemed necessary.