First evidence of a conical-toothed pliosaurid (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) in the Hauterivian of the Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria

The first pliosaurid finding in Austria is described from a Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian) pelagic to hemipelagic limestone succession of the Northern Calcareous Alps (Bajuvaric Langbath Zone). The isolated tooth crown originates from the upper Hauterivian Balearites balearis Zone (Balearites angulicostatus Subzone). The finding sheds light on the diversity and distribution of pliosaurids in the Lower Cretaceous, being only the second occurrence...