Moroccan Mosasaurs

[jnoun11]

Hi mosasaurs lovers,

I looked around on different american fossils web sites , and I found, is nowhere a description or list about different species of Mosasaurs from Morocco .

So I'll try humbly to fix it . Feel free to correct me if you see something wrong.

 

The Moroccan phosphate history began in 1921 , Moroccan phosphate mines operate three layers of phosphates .

Level 1 : Ypresian phosphate bed

Level 2 : Thanetian phosphate bed

Level 3 : Maestrichian phosphate bed

Level 4 : Maestrichian grey phosphate  at Sidi-Chenan quarry, ben guerir and youssoufia

Level 5 : Maestrichian, grey phosphate,white bones: ben guerir and youssoufia

level 6: Maestrichian, grey phosphate,white bones: ben guerir and youssoufia

 

 

Most of the material on a market belong to oued zem and sidi -daoui zone; even though you will find them under Khouribga denomination, nothing comes from Khouribga...

 

Of course, mosasaurs belong to the level 3, and 4 different species are studied by scientists of the French Museum of Natural History in Paris .

Today the last record of different mosasaurs species is at list 18 and probably 20. (personal opinion )

Listed like below :

 

†Halisaurus. arambourgi .(Bardet, Pereda Suberbiola, Iarochène, Bouya & Amaghzaz, 2005)
†Halisaurus.sp not described yet

†Halisaurus walkeri .(Lingham-Solier, 1998) ( i used this name temporarily, until one studie about this mosasaur show-up )

†Prognathodon sp Dollo, 1889
†thalassotitan atrox 2022 ex †Prognathodon anceps ex leiodon anceps

slender form

massive form

perhaps sexual dimorphism ( personal opinion )

†Prognathodon solvayi Dollo, 1889

†Prognathodon hudae kaddumi 2009



†Prognathodon. currii (Christiansen & Bonde, 2002)


†Eremiasaurus heterodontus , gen. et sp. nov sp ( AR. H. LeBlanc, M. W. Caldwell, and N. Bardet. 2012)


†“Mosasaurus" baugei Arambourg 1954 ( Mosasaurus beaugei Arambourg, 1952 (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco

Nathalie Bardet , Xabier Pereda Suberbiola , Mohamed Iarochene , Fatima Bouyahyaoui , Baadi Bouya , Mbarek Amaghzaz . 2004 )

†Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell, 1829


†hainosaurus boubker, 2022

slender form long premaxillary like tylosaurus proriger

massive form short premaxillary like hainosaurus

personal constatation

 

† Stelladens mysteriosus (Nicholas R. Longrich , Nour-Eddine Jalil , Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola and Nathalie Bardet 2023)

† Gavialimimus almaghribensis caldwell et al ,2020  ex: Platecarpus ptychodon Arambourg 1954

†Globidens. phosphaticus (Bardet, Pereda Suberbiola, Iarochène, Amalik & Bouya, 2005)
†Carinodens belgicus ( N. Bardet, X. Pereda Suberbiola, M. Iarochène, M. Amalik, and B. Bouya. 2005)
†Carinodens minalmamar. (A.S. Schulp, N. Bardet& B. Bouya. 2009)

†Harranasaurus khuludae. (kaddumi.2009)

†Globidens simplex (LeBlanc, Aaron. (2019)

†Xenodens calminechari (Longrich, N.R.; Bardet, N.; Schulp, A. S.; Jalil, N (2021))

[jnoun11]

HALISAURUS ARAMBOURGI

SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
SQUAMATA OPPEL,1811

MOSASAURIDAE GERVAIS, 1853
HALISAURINAE BARDET & PEREDA SUBERBIOLA, 2004
NEW TAXON HALISAURUS MARSH, 1869

Type species: Halisaurus platyspondylus Marsh, 1869, Maastrichtian of New Jersey, USA (Holmes
& Sues, 2000).
Referred species: Halisaurus ortliebi (Dollo, 1889), Maastrichtian of Belgium (Lingham-Soliar,1996).

HALISAURUS ARAMBOURGI BARDET & PEREDA SUBERBIOLA, SP. NOV. 2004

Etymology: In honour of the late Prof. Camille Arambourg, for his pioneering work on fossil vertebrates from the phosphates of North Africa and the Middle East.

Type locality and horizon: Grand Daoui area, near Khouribga, central Morocco; phosphates of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, upper Couche III, Late Cretaceous, Late Maastrichtian (Cappetta, 1987).

Diagnosis: Small mosasaurid (adult total length 3,4 m). External nares extend from 6th to 12th maxillary teeth, V -shaped anteriorly and U-shaped posteriorly; prefrontal contributes moderately to margin of naris and possesses small anterior supraorbital ridge; frontal with median dorsal ridge extending on two-thirds of the bone length, and two anterior oblique ridges; parietal with triangular table ornamented by transverse undulated ridges and a lenticular foramen, the anterior end of which is located half its length from the frontal suture; quadrate with a vertical oval stapedial notch; pterygoid with short palatine process at about 45° relative to the ectopterygoid process; dental formula: 2 premaxillary, at least 16 maxillary and 12 pterygoid teeth,19 dentary teeth; teeth very fine and sharp, abruptly posteriorly recurved, with a circular basal cross-section, two carinae and enamel ornamented by minute ridges.

the informations cited here come from the publication :

A new species of Halisaurus from the Late Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, and the phylogenetical relationships of the Halisaurinae (Squamata: Mosasauridae) 2004
NATHALIE BARDET`, XABIER PEREDA SUBERBIOLA, MOHAMED IAROCHENE, BAADI BOUYA and MBAREK AMAGHZAZ

publications

1996. The first description of Halisaurus (Reptilia Mosasauridae) from Europe, from the Upper Cretaceous of Belgium. Theagarten LINGHAM-SOLIAR.

www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/255692.pdf

BAIRD, D. 1986a. Halisaurus and prognatodon. two uncommon mosasaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of New Jersey. The Mosasaur, 3 : 37-45.

http://docentes.fct.unl.pt/sites/default/files/omateus/files/polcyn_et_al_mateus2007_halisaurus_angola_svpmeet.pdf

http://yadda.icm.edu.pl/yadda/element/bwmeta1.element.elsevier-5c5d647c-5d3f-34fb-9b64-6126c01cc420

Polcyn, M., Jacobs L., Schulp A., & Mateus O. (2007). Halisaurus (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Maastrichtian of Angola. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27(Suppl. to 3), 130A., Jan: Museu Lourinha, So Methodist Univ, Nat Hist Museum Maastricht

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halisaurinae

complete skeleton

skull

right lower jaw

right maxillary

right and left palate ( never published)

right and left mandibular

Edited April 24, 2016 by jnoun11

[jnoun11]

 

 

 

 

pluridens serpentis

 

SYSTEMATIC
PALAEONTOLOGY

SQUAMATA, OPPEL, 1811

MOSASAURIDAE , GERVAIS, 1853

 

HALISAURINAE
BARDET & PEREDA SUBERBIOLA ,2004

 

NEW TAXON

HALISAURUS MARSH,1869

Type species:

Pluridens walkeri , ( Lingham-Soliar , 1998 )

Maastrichtian of illulemedden bassin , NIGER

 

species:

•  P. calabaria Longrich, 2016
• P. serpentis Longrich, 2021
• P. walkeri Lingham-Soliar, 1998 (type)

 

 

 

Locality:

Sidi chenane, Morocco

upper maestrichian level 3

etymology: after Cyril A. Walker to mark is contributions as a vertebrate paleontologist at the natural history museum of London ( BMNH) and is generosity to uninitiated student and to the famous alike.

 

publications

• Konishi, Takuya; Caldwell, Michael W.; Nishimura, Tomohiro; Sakurai, Kazuhiko; Tanoue, Kyo (2015). "A new halisaurine mosasaur (Squamata: Halisaurinae) from Japan: the first record in the western Pacific realm and the first documented insights into binocular vision in mosasaurs". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology: 1–31. doi:10.1080/14772019.2015.1113447.
• T. Lingham-Soliar. 1998. A new mosasaur Pluridens walkeri from the Upper Cretaceous, Maastrichtian of the Iullemmeden Basin, southwest Niger. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18(4):709-707.
• Nicholas R. Longrich (2016). "A new species of Pluridens (Mosasauridae: Halisaurinae) from the upper Campanian of Southern Nigeria". Cretaceous Research. in press. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.03.013.
• Lindgren J, Siverson M. 2005. Halisaurus sternbergii, a small mosasaur with an intercontinental distribution. Journal of Paleontology 79 (4): 763–773.
• Michael J. Polcyn, Johan Lindgren, Nathalie Bardet, Dirk Cornelissen, Louis Verding, and Anne S. Schulp (2012) Description of new specimens of Halisaurus arambourgi Bardet & Pereda Suberbiola, 2005 and the relationships of Halisaurinae. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 183:123-136 doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.183.2.123 http://bsgf.geoscienceworld.org/content/183/2/123.abstract

 

Holmes, Robert B.; Sues, Hans-Dieter (2000). "A partial skeleton of the basal mosasaur Halisaurus platyspondylus from the Severn Formation (Upper Cretaceous: Maastrichtian) of Maryland" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology 74 (2): 309–16.

 

University of Cincinnati (8 December 2015). "Unique Mosasaur fossil discovered in Japan". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 12 December 2015

Pluridens serpentis, a new mosasaurid (Mosasauridae: Halisaurinae) from the Maastrichtian of Morocco and implications for mosasaur diversity(2021):  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667121001294 Nicholas R.Longrich, NathalieBardet, fatimaKhaldoune, Oussama KhadiriYazami, Nour-EddineJalil

https://www.nicklongrich.com/blog/pluridens-and-the-insane-incredible-neverending-diversity-of-moroccan-mosasaurs

 

diagnosis : moderatly large mosasaur. very long.slender dentary,anterior half cross section almost circular extending to tip. 28 -plus teeth
in dentary,close set. tooth crown short.the teeth looking like Halisaurus Arambourgi but bigger and serrated on cutting edge. 21-22 teeth on a maxillary 28 teeth on a dentary,10 teeth on pterygoid. . It is referred to Pluridens based on the elongate and robust jaws, small teeth, and specialized tooth implantation. Pluridens is referred to Halisaurinae based on the posteriorly expanded premaxilla, long premaxilla-maxilla suture, broad premaxillary facet on the maxilla, closed otic notch, and small, striated, hooked teeth. The orbits are reduced relative to other halisaurines while the snout is robust and flat with a broad, rounded tip. The jaws bear numerous small, hooked, snake-like teeth.

this very rare mosasaur is now described in a moroccan phosphates all the skull mesured the same size : 32 inches .

 

skull from top

 

same skull from right

 

 

comparaison between jugal of halisaurus arambourgi ( top), and pluridens serpentis (bottom)

the jugal of pluridens serpentis is very similar than platecarpus ptychodon

tooth of pluridens serpentis ,you can see the serration on cutting edge

Edited May 14, 2021 by jnoun11
update

[donckey]

Hi Jnoun11,

Thanks for sharing this information and showing these pictures. Hope that there will be more to come

I find it difficult to get good information for IDing mosafossils. For instance how many teeth different species had in there jaws.

a question: I do not see "Prognothodon anceps" in your list. Is there an other name for it or .....???

Peter

[jnoun11]

hi peter

i m a little bit busy right now, but more will come soon. feel free to ask questions ,so i will try to answer to it when i will post more. proganthodon anceps is nomen dubium and the new name is : prognathodon .sp . for the numbers of teeth of each species , i will try to answer soon, today is sunday and i have to go digging in a new miocene formation with megaselachus and other miocenes sharks. ...i will post more tomorow

regards

jnoun

[Paleoworld-101]

Thanks for the info.

I have a Mosasaurus tooth identified as 'Mosasaurus anceps' from Morocco and upon not seeing it on your list i went to wikipedia and it doesn't seem to be an actual species of Mosasaurus. Have i been misled all these years?

EDIT- just saw the above posts, so it should be 'Prognathodon anceps' but even that is not scientifically recognised?? So there is no anceps species?

Edited March 24, 2013 by Paleoworld-101

[jnoun11]

thalassotitan atrox n gen. n.sp

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY
Order SQUAMATA Oppell, 1811
Family MOSASAURIDAE Gervais, 1853
Subfamily MOSASAURINAE Williston, 1897
Genus PROGNATHODON Dollo, 1889

 

diagnosis from the publication : Thalassotitan atrox, a giant predatory mosasaurid (Squamata) from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco

 

.Diagnosis. Large mosasaurid, Premaxilla tip short and blunt. Interlocking contacts between premaxilla and maxilla. Maxilla deep, ventral
 margin convex. Interdigitating joint between maxilla and prefrontal formed by a series of tongue-and-groove joints, with margins of the joint interdigitating. Prefrontal broadly overlaps onto frontal. Prefrontal-postorbitofrontal excluding frontal from orbital margin. Frontal short, broad, strongly constricted anteriorly and strongly concave at contact with parietal anterolateral wings; postorbital processes displaced anteriorly; large posteromedial processes wrapping around parietal foramen. Jugal broad and robust where its contacts the maxilla. Quadrate massive with large, fused supra- and infrastapedial processes below median part of the shaft. Tooth crowns with anastomosed ornamentation of apex and serrated anterior and posterior carinae.

the most common specie in moroccan phosphates.

 

 

skull from top right

 

same skull from right showing the pathology

 

 

complete skeleton with the tail mounted hypocercal position

 

close-up of the rignt dentary

 

pathology on left maxillary

 

sclerotic ring

 

right dentary

 

nasal front view

 

pathology on left maxillary

 

 

 

internet links:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667122001793

 

https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/downloads/56/56_p0389_p0393.pdf

http://www.academia.edu/388824

 

/A_new_species_of_Prognathodon_Squamata_Mosasauridae_from_the_Maastrichtian_of_Angola_and_the_affinities_of_the_mosasaur_genus_Liodon

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2011.601714#preview

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosasaurus

 

https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app48-397.html

 

publications:

 

 

Baird, Donald (1986): Halisaurus and Prognathodon, two uncommon Mosasaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of New Jersey. In: The Mosasaur, Vol. 3, S. 37–45.

Bardet et al. (2012) A skull fragment of the mosasaurid Prognathodon cf. sectorius from the Late Cretaceous of Navarre (Basque-Cantabrian Region). Bull. Soc. géol. France, 2012, t. 183, no 2, pp. 117-121.

Buchy, Marie-Céline; Frey, Eberhard; Wolfgang Stinnesbeck & José Guadalupe López-Oliva (2007): Cranial anatomy of a Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) mosasaur (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from north-east Mexico. In: Revista Mexicana de Ciencas Geológicas Vol. 24, N. 1, S. 89–103.

Buffetaut & Bardet (2012) The mosasaurid (Squamata) Prognathodon in the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of the Cotentin Peninsula (Normandy, northwestern France). Bull. Soc. géol. France, 2012, t. 183, no 2, pp. 111-115.

Christiansen, Per &. Niels Bonde (2002): A new species of gigantic mosasaur from the Late Cretaceous of Israel. In: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22 (3), S. 629-644.

Dortangs, Rudi W.; Schulp, A.; Mulder, E.; Jagt, J. W. M.; H. Peeters & D. de Graaf (2002): A large new mosasaur from the Upper Cretaceous of the Netherlands. In: Geologie en Mijnbouw, 81(1), S. 1-8.

Grigoriev (2013) Redescription of Prognathodon lutugini (Squamata, Mosasauridae). Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS, Vol. 317, No. 3, 2013, рр. 246–261

Kass, Michael S. (1999): Prognathodon stadtmanni: (Mosasauridae) a new species from the Mancos Shale (Lower Campanian) of Western Colorado. In: Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah, S. 275–294.

 

Campanian and Maastrichtian mosasaurid reptiles from central Poland Marcin Machalski, John W.M. Jagt, Rudi W. Dortangs, Eric W.A. Mulder, and Andrzej Radwański . Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 48 (3), 2003: 397-408

Konishi, T., D. Brinkman, J. A. Massare & M. W. Caldwell (2011) New exceptional specimens of Prognathodon overtoni (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Campanian of Alberta, Canada, and the systematics and ecology of the genus. In: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31(5), S. 1026-1046.

Lindgren & Schulp (2010) New material of Prognathodon (Squamata: Mosasauridae), and the mosasaur assemblage of the Maastrichtian of California, U.S.A. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(5):1632-1636.

Lingham-Soliar, Theagarten &. Dirk Nolf (1989): The mosasaur Prognathodon (Reptilia, Mosasauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Belgium. In: Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre 59, S. 137-190.

Lucas, Spencer G.; Ikejiri, Takehito; Maisch, Heather; Thomas Joyce & Gary L. Gianniny (2005): The mosasaur Prognathodon from the Upper Cretaceous Lewis Shale near Durango, Colorado and the distribution of Prognathodon in North America. In: 56th Field Conference Guidebook, Geology of the Chama Basin, S. 389–394.

Russell, D. A. 1967. Systematics and morphology of American mosasaurs (Reptilia, Sauria). Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, Bulletin 23:1–241.

Schulp, Anne S.; Michael J. Polcyn; Octávio Mateus; Louis L. Jacobs & Maria Luísa Morais (2008): A new species of Prognathodon (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Maastrichtian of Angola, and the affinities of the mosasaur genus Liodon. In: Proceedings of the Second Mosasaur Meeting, S. 1–12.

 

Nicholas R. Longrich, Nour-Eddine Jalil, Fatima Khaldoune, Oussama Khadiri Yazami, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola, Nathalie Bardet,
Thalassotitan atrox, a giant predatory mosasaurid (Squamata) from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco,
Cretaceous Research,Volume 140,2022,105315,ISSN 0195-6671,

Edited November 2, 2022 by jnoun11

[donckey]

jnoun,

Great, keep showing us so we can learn

Peter

[jnoun11]

Prognathodon solvayi

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY

Order SQUAMATA Oppell, 1811

Family MOSASAURIDAE Gervais, 1853

Subfamily MOSASAURINAE Williston, 1897

Genus PROGNATHODON Dollo, 1889

*Prognathodon solvayi

= Prognathosaurus solvayi

note: This specimen is actually unique and didn t exist officially in Morocco

skull

close-up of teeth

type of prognathodon solvayi

Edited September 17, 2014 by jnoun11

[donckey]

Jnoun,

Are those fossils yours? Did you find them yourself, Are they in a museum?

Like to know the backgroundstory

A few month ago I posted a peace of Mosaskul for ID.

Samir and Fiore were so kind to give me an ID.

It looked to be "Prognathon anceps" , In musea I saw Mosa called also Anceps.

For me it is important to have the most recent name of my Mosa's so will you please look at the pictures and say what you think of it?

The front teeth, middle teeth and back teeth differ a lot in shape and root.
The front ones have only one sharp edge (innerside)

thanks Peter

The front teeth, middle teeth and back teeth differ a lot in shape and root.
The front ones have only one sharp edge (innerside)

[Down under fossil hunter]

Awesome work!

This has been a really good read.

Considering how almost every collector has a mosasaur fossil of some type it is great to be able to go back and correct some misidentified specimens and see what other mosasaurs were around at this time.

[jnoun11]

Jnoun,

Are those fossils yours? Did you find them yourself, Are they in a museum?

Like to know the backgroundstory

A few month ago I posted a peace of Mosaskul for ID.

Samir and Fiore were so kind to give me an ID.

It looked to be "Prognathon anceps" , In musea I saw Mosa called also Anceps.

For me it is important to have the most recent name of my Mosa's so will you please look at the pictures and say what you think of it?

The front teeth, middle teeth and back teeth differ a lot in shape and root.

The front ones have only one sharp edge (innerside)

thanks Peter

bija2013 013.gifmoso13 3nieuw.jpgmoso13 1.gif

The front teeth, middle teeth and back teeth differ a lot in shape and root.

The front ones have only one sharp edge (innerside)

hi peter

i will not speack about me, absolutly not interessant here .

most of the specimens here represent 20 years of discovery and research, most of them are now in museum , or source of future scientific publications.

i have not the pretention to said , i know everithing about mosasaurs ,but this topics is for sharing informations with people they have interest on mosasaurs.

when somemone of you want correct what i published here, feel free please.

i didnt want also to identifying every mosasaurs stuff buying or finding by the collectors is not the point of this topic. but normally with the informations showing here , everyone will be able to identifying is specimens .

the vertebrate paleontology is a science and science evolved with time , i didnt see, in a fossils market until today, one mosasaur correctly mounted. is because the people they make buisness with this kind of material, are not scientist or they know customer can not see what is good or not...

when someone buying vertebrates material , he must verifying at list, all process of the preparation, the field informations are important too, scientific papers from everywhere in a world must be read and understand before preparing some specimens. picture of the unprepared material must be requested . if the dealer are not able to show you that ,don t buy something.

and for your mosasaur its to me:

prognathodon.sp massive form maestrichian level 3 sidi-daoui . morocco

regards

jnoun

Edited September 17, 2014 by jnoun11

[jnoun11]

Prognathodon Curii

 

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY
Order SQUAMATA Oppell, 1811
Family MOSASAURIDAE Gervais, 1853
Subfamily MOSASAURINAE Williston, 1897
Genus PROGNATHODON Dollo, 1889
Prognathodon currii, sp. nov. 2002

 

 

very rare mosasaur in Morocco ,most of the specimens belonging from the level 3 inf Sidi-chenan locality more rare in Khouribga in upper level 3. Never founded a complete skull until now...There seem to be 1 more specie in Couche IV- in sidi chenane , a currii-like species with slender teeth

 

Etymology:

currii, In honor of Dr. Philip J. Currie, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, for his fiftieth birthday (March 1999).

publication :

Bardet, N., Pereda Suberbiola, X., Iarochène, M., Amalik, M. & Bouya, B. , 2005.

Durophagous Mosasauridae (Squamata) from the Upper Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, with the description of a new species of Globidens.

In:

Schulp, A.S. & Jagt, J.W.M. (eds): Proceedings of the First Mosasaur Meeting. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 84: 167-175

 

http://www.njgonline.nl/publish/articles/000252/article.pdf

diagnose

Teeth heavy with smooth enamel surfaces, tooth crowns nearly straight, conical with blunt apices, with bicarinate, occasionally serrated, carinae. 11 maxillary teeth, set on heavy, weakly striated pedicles. Dentary with nearly horizontal alveolar margin, 12 dentary teeth. Posterior horizontal inflection on mandibular retroarticular process.

pterygoid teeth

left dentary and left maxillary

close up of dentary teeth

detail of the serrations

right maxillary

 

[jnoun11]

Eremiasaurus heterodontus

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY
REPTILIA Linnaeus, 1758
SQUAMATA Oppel, 1811
MOSASAURIDAE Gervais, 1853
MOSASAURINAE Gervais, 1853
EREMIASAURUS, gen. nov.

Etymology—From the Greek eremia (masc., desert) and sauros (masc., lizard), referring to the arid climate in present day Morocco where this marine reptile was recovered.

publication about

LeBlanc, A.R.H., Caldwell, M.W. and Bardet, N. 2012. A new mosasaurine from the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) Phosphates of Morocco and its implications for mosasaurine systematics. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32(1):82-104.

Diagnosis—Apomorphies of taxon: pterygoid teeth become increasingly curved posteriorly; pronounced heterodonty, anterior
marginal teeth straight and conical, middle dentition composed of laterally compressed blade-like teeth with anterior
and posterior serrated carinae, posterior teeth asymmetrically expanded anteriorly, producing highly convex anterior surfaces
in lateral view; tooth enamel surfaces smooth; upper and lower teeth interdigitate tightly in anterior region of the snout, leaving
interdental pitting of the bone between adjacent tooth crowns; interdental spaces decrease posteriorly in maxillae and dentaries.

13 teeth on a maxillary 16 teeth on a dentary .

skull

skull top view

right quadrate

Edited July 20, 2014 by jnoun11

[xonenine]

maybe when you are finished all this can go in one PDF, w only the pertinent information, if you wish

[jnoun11]

maybe when you are finished all this can go in one PDF, w only the pertinent information, if you wish

hi xonenine

i need more time , because i wish correct still some informations and ad more pictures detailled of different specimens.

regard

jnoun

[jnoun11]

Mosasaurus baugei

 

systematic paleontology

SQUAMATA Oppel, 1811
MOSASAURIDAE Gervais, 1853
MOSASAURINAE Gervais, 1853
Mosasaurus Conybeare, 1822
Type species: Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell, 1829
Diagnosis: see Lingham-Soliar (1995).
Mosasaurus baugei Arambourg, 1952

 

etymology : from Alfred bauge ( 1878- 1935 ) general director of the O.C.P ( office cherifien des phosphates )

Diagnosis: large mosasaurid with 12-13 maxillary teeth; marginal teeth bearing 3-5 prisms on the labial surface and 8-9 on the lingal surface; The dentary terminates abruptly in front of the first tooth. It bears 14 or 15 teeth

relatively common mosasaur in moroccan phosphates , very big at list 33 feets lenght. the teeth are often broken on a field , or crushed.

skull

 

complete skeleton

 

 

close-up

 

left maxillary external view

 

left maxillary internal view

 

left and right palate ( never published)

 

contact between pre-frontal and palate

close up of the maxillary teeth

Edited April 14 by jnoun11
update

[piranha]

A Man and his Mosasaurs.... thanks for the great thread of taxonomic information! 

[donckey]

jnoun,

I think you are a very interesting person indeed, giving us all that great information about mosasaurs from Morocco

And I can't thank you enough for all your great information, so keep on going.

It also gives a positive image of the Moroccan Mosa's, in contrast to the many (thrue) stories about fake and assembled fossils offered in the market.

Is it possible, after you finished sharing all your mosasaurusinfo with us, to tell us something about mosasaurusteeth with serrations?

Will not ask you for ID's again, but thanks for giving that ID anyway

Peter

[jnoun11]

Mosasaurus hoffmanni

systematic paleontology

Class : Reptilia Linnaeus, 1758
Superorder : Squamata Oppel, 1811
Order: Sauria ( = Lacertilia Owen, 1842) McCartney,1802
Infraorder: Platynota DumCril & Bibron, 1836
Family: Mosasauridae Gervais, 1853
Subfamily: Mosasaurinae Williston, 1897
Genus : Mosasaurus Conybeare, 1822
Type species : Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell, 1829

1820 Lacerta gigantea Sommerring,
1829 Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell,
1829 Mosasaurus belgicus Holl,
1832 Mosasaurus camperi Meyer, .
1840-1845 Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell; Owen,
1869- 1870 Mosasaurus giganteus Cope,
1879 Mosasaurus camperi Meyer; Ubaghs,
1889 Mosasaurus camperi Meyer ;Dollo,
1924 Mosasaurus giganteus ; Dollo,
1942 Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell; Camp,
1959 Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell; Persson,

1967 Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell; Russell,
1980 Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell; Hamoir,
1983 Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell; Meijer,
1987 Mosasaurus hofmanni Mantell; Buffetaut
1989 Mosasaurus hofmanni Mantell; Lingham-Soliar & Nolf,
1991 Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell; Lingham-Soliar,

 

diagnosis: Very large mosasaurine mosasaur.teeth bearing 1-2 prisms on the labial surface
The maxilla : 14 large prismatic teeth with enormous barrelshaped bases.

the dentary :14 prismatic teeth are present

rare mosasaur in moroccan phosphates many time confused with Mosasaurus beaugei , more present in sidi-daoui maestrichian level 3. officially non present in morocco.

links publications

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357836567_Occurrence_of_Mosasaurus_hoffmannii_Mantell_1829_Squamata_Mosasauridae_in_the_Maastrichtian_Phosphates_of_Morocco

 

skull from left

 

skull from top

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by jnoun11
update

[jnoun11]

 

Hainosaurus boubker

 

systematic paleontology

Order Squamata
Family Mosasauridae
Genus Tylosaurus Marsh, 1872b

 

diagnosis : 13 teeth on dentary , 14 on maxillary , generally the teeth in Morocco are very dark braun ,the enamel is smooth, and no serrations. rare in sidi daoui couche 3 deposits, but frequent in sidi chenane. couche 3,4,5.

 

publication:

 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365437927_First_Record_of_a_Tylosaurine_Mosasaur_from_the_Latest_Cretaceous_Phosphates_of_Morocco

 

 

skull lateral view

 

skull top view

 

left and right jugal

 

nasal

 

 

 

 

 

 

maxillary teeth

 

left maxillary

[jnoun11]

Gavialimimus almaghribensis

 

systematic paleontology

 

Reptilia Laurenti 1768

 

Squamata Oppel 1811

 

Mosasauridae Gervais 1852

 

Plioplatecarpinae Russell 1967

 

Platecarpus Cope 1869

 

Platecarpus ptychodon Arambourg , 1952

 

Gavialimimus almaghribensis, sp. nov,2020

 

Type species.Gavialimimus almaghribensis, sp. nov.

 

publication:

Catherine R. C. Strong , Michael W. Caldwell , Takuya Konishi & AlessandroPalci (2020): A new species of longirostrine plioplatecarpine mosasaur (Squamata: Mosasauridae)from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco, with a re-evaluation of the problematic taxon ‘Platecarpus’ptychodon , Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2020.1818322

 

ARAMBOURG C. 1952. — Les vertébrés fossiles des gisements de phosphates (Maroc – Algérie – Tunisie). Notes et Mémoires du Service géologique du Maroc 92:1-372.

 

 

 

.Diagnosis.As for the type and only species.Derivation of name.Meaning‘gharial mimic’, from theGallicized Hindi root‘gavial’and the Greek root‘mimus’, the genus name refers to morphological con-vergence between the holotype specimen and the extantgharial (Gavialis gangeticus), primarily regarding their distinctive longirostry and interlocking teeth.

 

small teeth with bicarinate higly laterally compressed crowns, subequal lingal and labial surfaces bearing verticals striations that are more numerous on the lingual face and developed only on the two thirds of the crown height.

12 or 13 teeth on a dentary, 14 on a maxillary

 

skeleton

skull

close-up of the teeth

 

[jnoun11]

Globidens phosphaticus

systematic paleontology

Squamata Oppel, 1811
Mosasauridae Gervais, 1853
Mosasaurinae Gervais, 1853
Globidensini Russell, 1967
Globidens Gilmore, 1912

Globidens phosphaticus Bardet & Pereda Suberbiola, nov. sp.2005

 

Etymology – In reference to the deposits which have yielded this species.

publication :

Bardet, N., Pereda Suberbiola, X., Iarochène, M., Amalik, M. & Bouya, B. , 2005.

Durophagous Mosasauridae (Squamata) from the Upper Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, with the description of a new species of Globidens.

In:

Schulp, A.S. & Jagt, J.W.M. (eds): Proceedings of the First Mosasaur Meeting. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 84: 167-175

 

http://www.njgonline.nl/publish/articles/000252/article.pdf

http://docentes.fct.unl.pt/omateus/files/polcyn_jacobs_schulp__mateus_2010globidens_mosasaur_angola_african.pdf

http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2019/03/globidens-simplex.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331904753_Insights_into_the_anatomy_and_functional_morphology_of_durophagous_mosasaurines_Squamata_Mosasauridae_from_a_new_species_of_Globidens_from_Morocco

 

diagnosis :

Diagnosis – In comparison to G. alabamaensis and G. dakotensis ,strongly heterodont. Anterior teeth broadly conical, taller than long, posteriorly recurved then straight, with discrete apical carinae. Mid-posterior teeth bulbous, anteriorly taller than long becoming longer than tall posteriorly, irregularly oval in cross-section, with an inflated posterior surface, a large eccentric and recurved apical nubbin, vertical sulci on medial and lateral faces, no carinae, and enamel surface covered by crude anastomosing ridges.

personal discution: rare specie of mosasaur in sidi-daoui ,upper level 3 maestrichian, more abundant in sidi-chenan lower level 3 maestrichian.

globidens phosphaticus lower jaw

[jnoun11]

Carinodens belgicus

publication:

Schulp, A.S., Jagt, J.W.M. & Fonken, F. , 2004. New material of the mosasaur Carinodens belgicus from the Upper Cretaceous of The Netherlands. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 24: 744-747.

A.S. Schulp, N. Bardet & B. Bouya 2009. A new species of the durophagous mosasaur Carinodens (Squamata,Mosasauridae) and additional
material of Carinodens belgicus from the Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences — Geologie en Mijnbouw,
88–3, 161-167.

Kaddumi, H. F. 2009. Fossils of the Harrana Fauna and the Adjacent Areas. Publications of the Eternal River Museum of Natural History, Amman. 324pp.

http://www.njgonline.nl/publish/articles/000421/article.pdf

http://www.njgonline.nl/publish/articles/000252/article.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carinodens

personal discution: very rare mosasaur , only few dentary was founded in 20 years .

Edited March 26, 2013 by jnoun11

[JohnJ]

jnoun, I have followed your work on other forums. Thank you for your contributions here on TFF. This is wonderful information resource.