Which species discovery in 1997 expanded the known temporal distribution of the genus?
Answer
*Xiphactinus vetus*
The species *Xiphactinus vetus* holds importance in the genus's history because its discovery occurred much later, specifically in the eastern United States in 1997. This finding was crucial as it served to expand the known geographical range and temporal spread of the *Xiphactinus* genus across different continents and potentially across a wider span of the Late Cretaceous period. This contrasts with the type species, *Xiphactinus audax*, which formed the basis of the initial establishment.
Related Questions
What physical characteristic defines membership in Class Actinopterygii for Xiphactinus?How did Xiphactinus compare in size to its contemporaries in the Order Ichthyodectiformes?Who formally established the genus name Xiphactinus in 1870?Which family did Joseph Leidy initially suspect Xiphactinus belonged to?What does the Greek derivation of the name Xiphactinus roughly reference?Which species discovery in 1997 expanded the known temporal distribution of the genus?What characteristic confirms Xiphactinus's placement within Phylum Chordata?What synonym, used by Cope in the 1870s, was eventually superseded by Xiphactinus?What ecological niche did the Order Ichthyodectiformes primarily dominate during the Mesozoic?What criteria likely determined the placement of Xiphactinus within Family Ichthyodectidae?When did Xiphactinus cease to exist following the K–Pg extinction event?