Phantomosaurus neubigi ( Sander, 1997 )

Sues, Hans-Dieter & Schoch, Rainer R., 2025, Synopsis of the Triassic reptiles from Germany, Fossil Record 28 (2), pp. 411-483 : 411-483

Phantomosaurus neubigi ( Sander, 1997)

Holotype.

SNSB-BSPG 1992 I 39, poorly preserved and disarticulated partial skeleton.

Type locality.

Karlstadt am Main, Bavaria.

Type horizon.

Trochitenkalk Formation, Upper Muschelkalk Subgroup. Age: Middle Triassic (Middle Triassic: Anisian: Illyrian).

Diagnosis.

Distinguished by the following combination of features: basioccipital condyle saddle-shaped; paired postparietals dorsal to supraoccipital; retroarticular process slender; and centra of anterior vertebrae with ventral keels ( McGowan and Motani 2003).

Comments.

This taxon was originally identified as Shastasaurus neubigi by Sander (1997). Motani (1999 a) noted that it lacks shastasaurine apomorphies. Moon (2019) hypothesized that it is possibly related to Cymbospondylus but noted that its phylogenetic position among Merriamosauria remains poorly resolved.

References.

Sander (1997), Motani (1999 a), Maisch and Matzke (2000, 2006), McGowan and Motani (2003), Moon (2019).