Abstract
This chapter discusses the marine reptiles and Mesozoic biochronology. Marine reptiles of the Mesozoic were the Placodontia, Nothosauria, Mosasauria, Thallatosauria, Ichthyosauria, Plesiosauria, and Hupehsuchia. Ichthyosaurs appeared during the Early Triassic and persisted until the beginning of the Late Cretaceous. These most specialized and fishlike marine reptiles achieved a global distribution by the Middle Triassic. A maximum effort is needed by paleontologists revising the taxonomy of Mesozoic marine reptiles to extract taxonomically useful features from postcrania. Careful stratigraphic organization of much of the fossil record of Mesozoic marine reptiles needs to take place to establish stratigraphic ranges. Three Mesozoic marine reptile groups—Olenekian-Cenomanian Ichthyosauria, Rhaetian-Maastrichtian Plesiosauria, and Cenomanian-Maastrichtian Mosasauria have the greatest biochronological potential by virtue of their temporal and geographic distribution, relative abundance, and intensity of study. It is suggested that collecting, more whole-animal taxonomy, and more precise stratigraphic data should increase the biochronological utility of Mesozoic marine reptiles.
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