贵州关岭三叠纪法郎组瓦窑段除产出大量保存完整的海百合化石外,还产出多门类海生爬行动物化石。迄今为止,关岭生物群已报道的中一大型鱼龙类有6属6种,包括邓氏贵州鱼龙(Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae)、蔡胡氏典型鱼龙(Typicusichthyosaurus tsaihuae)、梁氏关岭鱼龙(Guanlingsaurus liangae)、亚洲杯椎鱼龙(Cymbospondylus asiaticus)、美丽盘江龙(Panjiangsaurus epicharis)和卧龙岗卡洛维龙(Callawayia wolonggangense)。一些种属的存在长期以来争议较大,目前多数观点倾向将Cymbospondylus asiaticus和Panjiangsaurus epieharis归并于Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae,将Typicusichthyosaurus tsaihuae归并于Guanlingsaurus liangae。Guanlingsaurus以具有较短的吻部和较多的荐前椎数目而与Guizhouichthyosaurus有明显的不同(Maisch et al.,2006)。虽然Maisch et al.(2006)对Gtangae进行了重新研究,但他们的研究重点是头部骨骼,有限的头后骨骼信息来自一具未经充分修理的骨架(GNP—d41),一些特征未能清晰揭示。头后骨骼材料的缺乏限制了对该种分类位置的判断(Maiscb et al.,2006)。在中、晚三叠世大型鱼龙中,肩带和腰带骨骼的形态、前肢和后肢骨骼的特征常具有非常重要的系统分类学意义。本文通过对关岭生物群的一具保存完整的大型鱼龙骨骼化石的详细研究,对Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae的归属进行了重新修订。研究标本(IVPP V 11853)产于贵州省关岭县新铺乡法郎组瓦窑段。修理后的骨架全长5.2m,以腹面向上保存,尾部后部以右侧面向上保存。除前、后肢部分残缺外,其他部位均保存完整,肩带骨骼和腰带骨骼均原位保存。头骨背腹向压扁,仅右侧角的上颞骨有部分破损。新材料的头后骨骼特征表明该种应该属于萨斯特鱼龙科(Shastasauridae)的萨斯特鱼龙属(Shastasaurus)。 Shastasaurus是一个?
A completely articulated ichthyosaur skeleton from the Guanling biota, Guizhou is described. The well preserved postcranial skeleton demonstrates that Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae, a large Triassic ichthyosaurid species previously described from Guizhou, should be referred to Shastasaurus. Enough materials were found to make possible a satisfactory determination of the systematic position of the large Guanling ichthyosaur species, although both the genus Shastasaurus and the family Shastasauridae have long been hard to define due to the fragmentary nature of the type specimens. The postcranial characters of Shastasaurus tangae are described in detail based on the new skeleton, the holotype of Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae and other associated Guanling large ichthyosaur materials. The trunk is very long, with more then 60 presacral vertebrae and a ventrally bent tail. The scapula is broad and sickle-shaped. The humerus is anteriorly notched with a short shaft. The radius is nearly rectangular, with a small notch in the anterior edge, and a very slightly concave posterior edge. The ulna is much smaller than the radius, with a slightly concave anterior edge and bluntly rounded posterior and distal edge. The forefin and hindfin have four principal digits.