Brachypterygius

Brachypterygius Temporal range: Late Jurassic, Kimmeridgian–Tithonian PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Restoration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	†Ichthyosauria
Family:	†Ophthalmosauridae
Subfamily:	†Platypterygiinae
Genus:	†Brachypterygius von Huene, 1922
Species
†B. extremus (Boulenger, 1904) von Huene, 1922 (type species)

Brachypterygius (meaning ″wide wing/paddle″ in Greek) is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from the Late Jurassic of England. The type species was originally described and named as Ichthyosaurus extremus by Boulenger in 1904.Brachypterygius was named by Huene in 1922 for the width and shortness of the forepaddle, and the type species is therefore Brachypterygius extremus. The holotype of B. extremus was originally thought to be from the Lias Group of Bath, United Kingdom, but other specimens suggest it more likely came from the Kimmeridgian Kimmeridge Clay (Late Jurassic) of Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, UK.

Brachypterygius is a medium to large ichthyosaur, with a skull length of 0.5–1.2 m. The snout is long, as is characteristic for ichthyosaurs, with larger and more robust teeth, and a relatively smaller eye than Ophthalmosaurus. The basioccipital has a very narrow extracondylar area. The forepaddle may have five or six digits, with the maximum phalangeal count being between 8 and 16. A key feature is the three facets at the distal end of the humerus; the middle is the smallest and articulates with the intermedium, which clearly separates Brachypterygius from Ophthalmosaurus, the most common Late Jurassic ichthyosaur.