Microcleidus

Post author:Adam S. Smith
Post published:17/10/2020
Post category:Genus page Microcleididae Plesiosauria Plesiosauroidea

Skeleton (lectotype specimen NHMUK PV OR 36184) of the Microcleidus homalospondylus. Lithograph from Owen (1865).

Microcleidus is a medium (4.27 m) to large (5.03 m) plesiosauroid with a small head and a long neck containing 38–39 cervical vertebrae. Watson (1909) erected Microcleidus to accommodate fossil material belonging to 'P.' homalospondylus and 'P.' macropterus (Watson 1911). Both species were considered valid by Seeley (1865), Blake (1876) and Watson (1911) on…

Sthenarosaurus

Post author:Adam S. Smith
Post published:17/10/2020
Post category:Genus page Plesiosauria

Under construction

Plesiopterys

Post author:Adam S. Smith
Post published:17/10/2020
Post category:Genus page Plesiosauria Plesiosauroidea

Plesiopterys

Under construction

Hauffiosaurus

Post author:Adam S. Smith
Post published:17/10/2020
Post category:Genus page Plesiosauria Pliosauridae Pliosauroidea

Holotype (Hauff Uncatalogued) of Hauffiosaurus zanoni as preserved in ventral view. Scale bar = 1 m. From Vincent (2011)

Hauffiosaurus is a basal pliosaurid known from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of the UK and Germany. Hauffiosaurus is a medium to large sized plesiosaur (H. zanoni = 3.4 m, H. tomistomimus, 4.23 m, H. longirostris = 4.83 m) (Smith and Lomax 2019), with a relatively long neck for a pliosaur, and an…

Hydrorion

Post author:Adam S. Smith
Post published:17/10/2020
Post category:Genus page Microcleididae Plesiosauria

Skeleton of Hydrorion (from Hauff, 1953).

Under construction

Cryonectes

Post author:Adam S. Smith
Post published:17/10/2020
Post category:Genus page Plesiosauria Pliosauridae Pliosauroidea Thalassophonea

Under construction

Westphaliasaurus

Post author:Adam S. Smith
Post published:17/10/2020
Post category:Genus page Microcleididae Plesiosauria Plesiosauroidea

Skeleton of Westphaliasaurus. The central slab of the skeleton was awaiting preparation at the time of this photograph, but was subsequently prepared. From Schwermann & Sander (2011).

Under construction Skeleton of Westphaliasaurus. The central slab of the skeleton was awaiting preparation at the time of this photograph, but was subsequently prepared. From Schwermann & Sander (2011).

Anningasaura

Post author:Adam S. Smith
Post published:17/10/2020
Post category:Genus page Plesiosauria Pliosauroidea

Anningasaura is a basal plesiosaur from the Lower Jurassic of Lyme Regis, UK, known from a single three-dimensionally preserved skull. The specimen, NHMUK OR49202, was originally described and figured by Andrews (1896), who referred it to 'Plesiosaurus' macrocephalus. It was redescribed and named as the holotype of Anningasaura lymense by Vincent and…