Lakumasaurus antarcticus, n. gen. et sp., a new mosasuaur (Reptilia, Squamata) fron the Upper Cretaceous of Antarctica

Mosasaurs were large predatory lizards that typically inhabited warm, epicontinental seas during the last 20 millon years of the Mesozoic Era. Evidence of their taxonomic diversity derives mainly from significant finds from Late Cretaceous rocks of North America, Europe, and Northen Africa. In contrast, the mososaue recordd from Southern Hemisphere is partial and much less informative. Mosasaur remains from Antarctica are mostly limited to isolated teeth and fragmentary bones, thus restricting their potential implications for mosasaur phylogeny and paleobiogeography. Here we report on a new tylosaurine mosasaur, Lakumasaurus antarcticus gen. et sp. nov., discovered in the Late Cretaceous beds of James Ross Island, northeast Antarctic Penindula. Lakumasaurus is the most complete mosasaur yet recorder in Antarctica, thus providing insights on mosasaur diversification in the southern seas. This discovery, together with Late Cretaceous mosasaur from New Zealand, suggest that distinction betwen Creataceous marine reptile faunas of the Southern and Northern hemisphere were greater than has been thought.