Kaiwhekea Cruickshank and Fordyce, 2002

Classification

Sauropterygia > Eosauropterygia > Eusauropterygia > Pistosauroidea > Plesiosauria > Plesiosauroidea > Cryptoclididae

Species

Kaiwhekea katiki Cruickshank and Fordyce, 2002 (Type and only species)

Material

OU 12649, an almost complete skull, almost complete vertebral column minus the posterior caudal vertebrae, almost complete ribcage, some gastralia, partial pelvic girdle and associated right hindlimb and fragmentary left hindlimb.

Distribution

Lower to Middle Katiki Formation, Dimitobelus hectori Zone (for belemnites) Palaeocystodinium granulatum Subzone (for dinoflagellates), Boundary between Upper and Lower Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous, Shore platform at Shag Point (45° 28' S, 170° 49'E) north of the Shag River Mouth, North Otago, South Island, New Zealand.

Images

Skull of Kaiwhekea katiki, From Cruickshank and Fordyce (2002)