PACHYPLEUROSAURIA

Classification

Sauropterygia > Eosauropterygia > Eusauropterygia > Pachypleurosauria

Discussion

Once included within "Nothosauria" the pachypleurosauroids form an exclusively Middle Triassic group of semi-aquatic Sauropterygia. When it was realised that "Nothosauria" constituted a paraphyletic clade, two lineages were identified. The more primitive of these two is the pachypleurosauroidea, the more derived members formed an unnamed clade of common ancestry referred to as "Nothosauria". This term now has a modified meaning (Rieppel, 1998)

Pachypleurosaur genera include:

Anarasaurus

Dactylosaurus

Keichousaurus

Neusticosaurus ('Pachypleurosaurus')

'Psilotrachelosaurus'

Serpianosaurus