FIGURE 1. A. Geographical location (grey) of the municipality of Saint-Laon in France (86 is the Vienne department number). B. Detailed geographical map showing the locality (star) where the Thouarsais specimen was collected. C. Simplified Callovian succession of the limestone quarry near la Grève, with the stratigraphic position of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen.
FIGURE 2. General view of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen (Liopleurodon ferox). Abbreviations: C, Cervical, CA, caudal, D, dorsal, S, sacral vertebrae. Scale bar equals 10 cm.
FIGURE 3. Cervical vertebrae of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen (Liopleurodon ferox): A. C1 in anterior view; B. C2 in right? lateral view; C. C5 in anterior view; D. C4 in right lateral view; E. C6 in right lateral view; F. C7 in left? lateral view; G-I. C10 in right lateral (G), anterior (H) and ventral (I) views. Scale bar equals 5 cm. Abbreviations: dia, diapophysis; for, foramen; nc, neural canal; np, notochordal pit; ns, neural spine; par, parapophysis; poz, postzygapophysis; prz, prezygapophysis; rf, rib facet; sut, neurocentral suture.
FIGURE 4. A-D, pectoral vertebrae and F-H, dorsal vertebrae of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen (Liopleurodon ferox): A. P1 in anterior view; B. P1 in left lateral view; C. P2 in anterior view; D. P2 in right lateral view; E. P4 in anterior view; F-H. D6, close-up of the rear margin of the neural spine (F), in anterior (G) and right lateral (H) views. Scale bar equals 5 cm. Abbreviations: for, foramen; nc, neural canal; ns, neural spine; sut, neurocentral suture.
FIGURE 5. A-B, sacral vertebra, C-D caudal vertebra, E-I, rib and gastralia of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen (Liopleurodon ferox): A, S3 in anterior view; B, S3 in right lateral view; C, CA2 in anterior view; D, CA2 in right lateral view; E, dorsal rib; F, gastralia; G-I, sacral rib in anterior (G), dorsal (H) and distal (I) views. Scale bar equals 5 cm. Abbreviations: ilf, ilium facet; nc, neural canal; rf, rib facet; sut, neurocentral suture.
FIGURE 6. Girdles of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen (Liopleurodon ferox): A-C. Left scapula in lateral (A), medial (B), and posterior (C) views; D-F. Right coracoid in medial (D) and dorsal (E-F) views; G. pelvic girdle; H-I. Left ilium in lateral (H), and posterior (I) views; J-K. Right ilium in medial (J) and posterior (K) views. Scale bars equal D-E, H-K: 5 cm, A-C, F-G: 10 cm. Abbreviations: act, acetabulum; cgf, glenoid facet of the coracoid; corf, scapular coracoid facet; csf, scapular facet of the coracoid; drs, dorsal ramus of the scapula; gle, scapular glenoid facet, ilf, iliac articular facet; isc, ischion; prs, posterior ramus of the scapula; pu, pubis; svr, scapular ventral ridge; tfen, thyroid fenestra; vrs, ventral ramus of the scapula.
FIGURE 7. Anterior limb elements of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen (Liopleurodon ferox): A, left paddle in dorsal view; B right paddle in dorsal view; C, left humerus in proximal view; D, left humerus in anterior view; E, left humerus in distal view. The dotted line indicates the level of bone abrasion. Scale bar equals 10 cm. Abbreviations: aof, accessory ossicle facet; dc, distal carpal; efa, epipodial facet; h, humerus; int, intermedium; r, radius; rl, radial; u, ulna; ul, ulnare.
FIGURE 8. Posterior limb elements of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen (Liopleurodon ferox): A-E, right paddle in dorsal (A), distal (B), ventral (C), proximal (D), anterior (E) views; F, left paddle in ventral view. Scale bar equals 10 cm. Abbreviations: cap, capitulum; dt, distal tarsal; f, femur; fi, fibula; fib, fibular; int, intermedium; mt, metatarsal; t, tibia; tib, tibial.
FIGURE 9. Cladogram showing the relationships of the ComCom Thouarsais_Geol.0121 specimen (Liopleurodon ferox) within Pliosauridae: strict consensus of the maximum-parsimony analysis. For character matrix, see Appendix 1. CI=0.204, RI=0679. Bremer indices are indicated for each node.
FIGURE 10. Global palaeogeography during the Callovian interval (modified from Wierzbowski and Rogov, 2011) showing the occurrences of Liopleurodon ferox specimens worldwide (shown by stars). Localities: 1, east of England (Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire); 2, south west England (Dorset); 3, north France (Hauts-de-France); 4, north-western France (Normandy); 5, western France (Nouvelle-Aquitaine the specimen described here); 6, north-western Germany (Northrhine-Westphalia); 7, south Germany (Bavaria, Swabia and Württemberg); 8, north Switzerland (canton of Aargau); 9, Żnin County (north-central Poland); 10, Moscow basin, Russia (data from Tarlo, 1960; Sachs et al., 1997; Noé, 2001; Rauhut et al., 2016; Zverkov et al., 2017).
