Latoplatecarpus

Latoplatecarpus is an extinct genus of plioplatecarpine mosasaur known from the Late Cretaceous (early middle Campanian stage) of the northern Gulf of Mexico, the Western Interior Basin of North America, and a singular specimen from the Saratov Region, of Russia. It was among the largest plioplatecarpine mosasaurs, with L. nichollsae measuring over in total body length.

==Discovery== thumb|left|Mandible Latoplatecarpus was named by Takuya Konishi and Michael W. Caldwell in 2011 and the type species is Latoplatecarpus willistoni. L. willistoni is known from the holotype TMP 84.162.01, a nearly complete skull, including the mandible and dentary, and a partial postcranial skeleton. The holotype was collected in the Pembina Mountain, in southern Manitoba, from the Pembina Member of the Pierre Shale, dating to the early middle Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 80.5 million years ago. Three specimens are also referred to this species, including DMNH 8769 (a very well preserved cranial and postcranial skeleton), SDSMT 30139 and AMNH 2182.