SVP 2018: A new 3D thalattosaur from Oregon

Metz, Druckenmiller, Boone and Kelley 2018
describe a new well-preserved thalattosaur from Oregon. They report, “The nodule
preserves the semi-articulated and three dimensionally preserved remains of multiple
individuals of different ontogenetic stages, including several complete and well-preserved
braincases.”

The authors err when they report, 
“Thalattosauria is a poorly known clade of exclusively Triassic, secondarily aquatic
tetrapods. Currently, thalattosaurian phylogeny is poorly understood, both in terms of their placement within Diapsida, as well as their ingroup relationships.”

The large reptile tree (LRT, 1315) confidently nests thalattosaurs and each genus within the clade alongside mesosaurs and ichthyosaurs. I hope the authors add Vancleavea (Fig. 1) to their studies. It is also preserved three-dimensionally.

Figure 1. Vancleavea is a thalattosaur with 3D preservation.

References
Metz ET, Druckenmiller PS, Boone NR and Kelley NP 2018. Thalattosauria braincase anatomy revealed through complete and three-dimensional material of a new genus from the Carnian Vester Formation of Oregon. SVP abstracts.