Baisesaurus
{{Short description|Extinct genus of ichthyosauromorphs}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = Early Triassic, {{fossil range|Spathian|Spathian|late Spathian}}
| image = Baisesaurus (holotype, CUGW VH107).png
| image_caption = Holotype specimen
| parent_authority = Ren et al., 2022
| display_parents = 2
| genus = Baisesaurus
| species = robustus
| authority = Ren et al., 2022
}}
Baisesaurus (meaning "Baise lizard") is an extinct genus of ichthyosauromorph reptiles from the early Triassic (Spathian age) Luolou Formation of Guangxi, China. The genus contains a single species, Baisesaurus robustus, known from a partial postcranial skeleton.
Discovery and naming
The Baisesaurus holotype specimen, CUGW VH107, was discovered in 2018 in a layer of the Luolou Formation (Triassospathodus symmetricus–T. homeri conodont assemblage zones{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Yi-Nuo |last2=Jiang |first2=Da-Yong |last3=Motani |first3=Ryosuke |last4=Yao |first4=Ming-Tao |last5=Zhou |first5=Min |last6=Sun |first6=Zuo-Yu |last7=Huang |first7=Jian-Dong |last8=Ma |first8=Zhao-Liang |date=May 2025 |title=Dating of Early Triassic Chaohu Fauna by precise U-Pb age constraints: Temporal calibration of the emergence and first radiation of Mesozoic marine reptiles |journal=Palaeoworld |language=en |pages=200963 |doi=10.1016/j.palwor.2025.200963}}) in the Nanpanjiang Basin of Zhebao Township in Baise, China. The specimen consists of assorted ribs, gastralia, a limb element (likely a radius), twelve vertebral centra, and seven neural arches.{{Cite journal |last1=Ren |first1=Jicheng |last2=Jiang |first2=Haishui |last3=Xiang |first3=Kunpeng |last4=Sullivan |first4=Corwin |last5=He |first5=Yongzhong |last6=Cheng |first6=Long |last7=Han |first7=Fenglu |date=2022-04-07 |title=A new basal ichthyosauromorph from the Lower Triassic (Olenekian) of Zhebao, Guangxi Autonomous Region, South China |journal=PeerJ |language=en |volume=10 |pages=e13209 |doi=10.7717/peerj.13209 |issn=2167-8359 |pmc=8995025 |pmid=35415016 |doi-access=free }}
In 2022, Ren et al. described Baisesaurus robustus, a new genus and species of basal ichthyosauromorphs. The generic name, "Baisesaurus", combines a reference to the type locality in Baise, China, with the Greek "saurus", meaning "lizard". The specific name, "robustus", means "robust".
Description and classification
Baisesaurus was likely at least {{cvt|3|m|ft}} long. It was more similar to Utatsusaurus than to any other ichthyosauromorph, with similar size and anatomical traits. It can be inferred from related animals that Baisesaurus was a strong swimmer with long, compact forelimb bones.
Baisesaurus likely represents a basal member of the clade Ichthyosauromorpha, albeit outside of the clades Hupehsuchia or Nasorostra. In their 2022 description, Ren and colleagues explained that it may more precisely represent a member of the Ichthyopterygia, but such a classification is highly tentative.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Ichthyosauromorpha|Ichthyosauromorpha}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q111702270|from2=Q124060076}}
Category:Fossil taxa described in 2022
Category:Triassic reptiles of Asia
Category:Ichthyosauromorph genera