. A descriptive catalogue of the marine reptiles of the Oxford clay. Based on the Leeds Collection in the British Museum (Natural History), London ... Reptiles, Fossil. METEIOEHTNCHUS. 165 circular in outline; a very small portion of its upper lateral borders is formed by the bases of the neural arch. The posterior surface is slightly concave and somewhat oval in outline. Ventrally the centrum is strongly concave from before backwards and convex from side to side, there being a blunt longitudinal ridge. The centrum of the second sacral is very similar. The neural arch bears a high spine (
. A descriptive catalogue of the marine reptiles of the Oxford clay. Based on the Leeds Collection in the British Museum (Natural History), London ... Reptiles, Fossil. METEIOEHTNCHUS. 165 circular in outline; a very small portion of its upper lateral borders is formed by the bases of the neural arch. The posterior surface is slightly concave and somewhat oval in outline. Ventrally the centrum is strongly concave from before backwards and convex from side to side, there being a blunt longitudinal ridge. The centrum of the second sacral is very similar. The neural arch bears a high spine () much thickened at the summit; ventrally it unites with facets occupying the anterior two-thirds of the centrum, and also with the upper surface of the inner end of the sacral rib, apparently sending out a process along the dorsal surface of the latter, as in Steneosaurus and Mycterosuchus (text-fig. 51). The zygapophyses are well developed in both sacrals. The sacral ribs (, text-figs. 63, 64) differ from those of Steneosaurus in being more slender and in cxirving downwards to a greater extent, so that their outer ends are con- siderably below the level of the ventral face of the vertebral centra. At their inner ends they unite with the bases of the neural arches and the sides of the centra; externally Text-fig. 64. Sacral vertebrae of Metriorliynchus moreli, from below. (E. 2504, i Eat. size.) , anterior face of sacrum ; , surface for ilium ; , posterior face of sacrum ; , sacral ribs. (The centrum of the first sacral vertebra has been shortened through crushing.) the ends of the two ribs meet in a small triangular surface and, for union with the ilium, bear concave facets, which look outwards and downwards. The caudal series (text-figs. 65, 66) includes a very large number of vertebra?, which differ greatly from one another in different parts of the tail. The greatest number of caudals preserved in any specimen in the Museum is thirty-five. Arthaber
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectreptile, bookyear1910
