Known from the Late Cretaceous (early middle Campanian stage) of the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Western Interior Basin of North America, Latoplatecarpus is an extinct genus of plioplatecarpine mosasaurs. With a total body length of more than 8 meters (26 feet), L. nichollsae was one of the biggest plioplatecarpine mosasaurs.
Discovery
Latoplatecarpus willistoni is the type species of the genus Latoplatecarpus, which was described in 2011 by Takuya Konishi and Michael W. Caldwell. The holotype TMP 84.162.01, a nearly complete skull that includes the jaw and dentary, and a fragmentary postcranial skeleton are the only known specimens of L. willistoni. The holotype, which dates to the early middle Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous era, or around 80.5 million years ago, was taken from the Pembina Member of the Pierre Shale in the Pembina Mountain in southern Manitoba. Additionally, three specimens are linked to this species: SDSMT 30139, AMNH 2182, and DMNH 8769, which is a very well-preserved skull and postcranial skeleton. A second species from Plioplatecarpus, L. nichollsae, was transferred to this genus by Konishi and Caldwell. Their new phylogenetic analysis revealed that L. nichollsae is the nesting place for the doubtful Platecarpus somenensis, but it was unable to recover the monophyly of the species from North American referred material (e.g., FMNHPR 465, FMNHPR 467, and GSATC 220). Based on the ontogenetic, biostratigraphic, and paleobiogeographic evidence and interpretations, the same result has been reached.
Reconstruction of Latoplatecarpus by Nobu Tamura.
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