List of plesiosaurs

This list of plesiosaurs is a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the order Plesiosauria, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera that are now considered invalid, doubtful (nomen dubium), or were not formally published (nomen nudum), as well as junior synonyms of more established names, and genera that are no longer considered plesiosaurs.

Scope and terminology

There is no official, canonical list of plesiosaur genera but one of the most thorough attempts can be found on the Plesiosauria section of Mikko Haaramo's Phylogeny Archive; also pertinent is the Plesiosaur Genera section at Adam Stuart Smith's Plesiosaur Directory.

Naming conventions and terminology follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Technical terms used include:

• Junior synonym: A name which describes the same taxon as a previously published name. If two or more genera are formally designated and the type specimens are later assigned to the same genus, the first to be published (in chronological order) is the senior synonym, and all other instances are junior synonyms. Senior synonyms are generally used, except by special decision of the ICZN, but junior synonyms cannot be used again, even if deprecated. Junior synonymy is often subjective, unless the genera described were both based on the same type specimen.
• Nomen nudum (Latin for "naked name"): A name that has appeared in print but has not yet been formally published by the standards of the ICZN. Nomina nuda (the plural form) are invalid, and are therefore not italicized as a proper generic name would be. If the name is later formally published, that name is no longer a nomen nudum and will be italicized on this list. Often, the formally published name will differ from any nomina nuda that describe the same specimen. In this case, these nomina nuda will be deleted from this list in favor of the published name.
• Preoccupied name: A name that is formally published, but which has already been used for another taxon. This second use is invalid (as are all subsequent uses) and the name must be replaced. As preoccupied names are not valid generic names, they will also go unitalicized on this list.
• Nomen dubium (Latin for "dubious name"): A name describing a fossil with no unique diagnostic features. As this can be an extremely subjective and controversial designation, this term is not used on this list.

The list

Genus Authors Year Status Age Location Notes Alexeyisaurus Sennikov Arkhangelsky 2010 Valid. uT Europe "Alzadasaurus" Welles 1943 Anarosaurus Dames 1890 Valid. mT Apatomerus Williston 1903 Valid. lK Aphrosaurus Welles 1943 Valid. uK "Apractocleidus" Smellie 1916 Disputed. possible synonym of Cryptocleidus Aptychodon Reuss 1855 Valid. uK Archaeonectrus Owen 1865 Valid. lJ Aristonectes Cabrera 1941 Valid. uK Chubut , Argentina Attenborosaurus Bakker 1993 Valid. lJ Augustasaurus Sander Rieppel Bucher 1997 Valid. mT Bathyspondylus Delair 1982 Valid. uJ Bishanopliosaurus Dong 1980 Valid. lJ Bobosaurus Dalla Vecchia 2006 Valid. uT Borealonectes Sato Wu 1980 Valid. mJ Brachauchenius Williston 1903 Valid. lK to uK Branacasaurus 19## Lapsus calami. probable lapsus calami of Brancasaurus Brancasaurus Wegner 1914 Valid. lK Brimosaurus Leidy 1855 Valid. uK Callawayasaurus Carpenter 1999 Valid. lK Ceraunosaurus Thurmond 1968 Jr. synonym junior synonym of Trinacromerum Charitosaurus Meyer 1838 Valid. Chinchenia Young 1965 Valid. mT Cimoliasaurus Leidy 1851 Valid. lK to uK Colymbosaurus Seeley 1874 Valid. mJ to uJ Crymocetus Cope 1869 Valid. lK[citation needed] Cryptocleidus Seeley 1892 Valid. Cryptoclidus Phillips 1871 Valid. mJ Cymatosaurus Fritsch 1894 Valid. mT Dactylosaurus Gurich 1884 Valid. Deirosaurus Owen 1854 Valid. Discosaurus Leidy 1851 Valid. Dolichorhynchops Williston 1903 Valid. Dravidosaurus Yadagiri Ayyasami 1979 Valid. Edgarosaurus Druckenmiller 2002 Valid. Elasmosaurus Cope 1868 Valid. Eopolycotylus Albright Gillette Titus 2007 Valid. Eretmosaurus Seeley 1874 Valid. Eridanosaurus Balsamo-Crivelli 1864 Valid. Eromangasaurus Kear 2005 Valid. Eurycleidus Andrews 1922 Valid. Eurysaurus Nopcsa 1928 Valid. Fresnosaurus Welles 1943 Valid. Futabasaurus Sato Hasegawa Manabe 2006 Valid. also a theropod nomen nudum ("Futabasaurus") Gallardosaurus Gasparini 2009 Valid. Georgia Otschev 1976 Preoccupied. preoccupied by a genus of mollusk Georgiasaurus Otschev 1878 Valid. Goniosaurus Meyer 1860[citation needed] Valid. Hauffiosaurus O'Keefe 2001 Valid. Hexatarsostinus Hawkins 1840 Valid. Hydralmosaurus Welles 1943 Valid. Hydrorion Grobmann 2006 Valid. Hydrotherosaurus Welles 1943 Valid. Ischyrodon von Meyer 1838 Jr. synonym junior synonym of Liopleurodon Kaiwhekea Cruickshank Fordyce 2002 Valid. Kimmerosaurus Brown 1981 Valid. Kronosaurus Longman 1924 Valid. Leptocleidus Andrews 1922 Valid. Leurospondylus Brown 1913 Valid. Libonectes Carpenter 1997 Valid. Liopleurodon Sauvage 1873 Valid. Luetkesaurus Kiprijanoff 1883 Valid. Lusonectes Smith Araújo Mateus 2011 Valid. lJ Europe Macroplata Swinton 1930 Valid. Manemergus Buchy Metayer Frey 2005 Valid. Maresaurus Gasparini 1997 Valid. Marmornectes Ketchum Benson 2011 Valid. mJ Europe Mauisaurus Hector 1874 Valid. Megalneusaurus Knight 1898 Valid. "Megalosaurus" 19## Valid. also a valid dinosaur genus Meyerasaurus Smith Vincent 2010 Valid. lJ Europe Microcleidus Watson 1911 Valid. Morenosaurus Welles 1943 Valid. Morturneria Chatterjee Creisler 1994 Valid. Uk Seymour Island, Antarctica Possible junior synonym of Aristonectes Muraenosaurus Seeley 1874 Valid. Nichollssaura Druckenmiller Russell 2009 Valid. Nichollsia Druckenmiller Russell 2008 Preocc. also a genus of isopod Occitanosaurus Bardet Fernandez Garcia-Ramos Superbiola Pinuela Ruiz-Omenaca Vincent 2008 Valid. Ogmodirus Williston Moodie 1917 Valid. Orophosaurus Cope 1851 Valid. Opallionectes Kear 2006 Valid. Pachycostasaurus Cruickshank Martill 1996 Valid. Pahasapasaurus Schumacher 2007 Valid. Palmula Albright Gillette Titus 2007 Valid. preoccupied by a genus of foraminifer, renamed Palmulasaurus Palmulasaurus Albright Gillete Titus 2007 Valid. Pantosaurus Marsh 1893 Valid. Peloneustes Lydekker 1889 Valid. Pentatarsostinius Hawkins 1840 Syn. Synonym of Plesiosaurus Peyerus Stromer 1935 Jr. synonym junior synonym of Leptocleidus Picrocleidus Andrews 1909 Jr. synonym junior synonym of Muraenosaurus Piptomerus Cope 1887 Valid. Piratosaurus Leidy 1865 Valid. Plesioliopleurodon 19## Valid. apparent typographical error for Plesiopleurodon Plesiopleurodon Carpenter 1996 Valid. Plesiopterys O'Keefe 2004 Valid. Plesiosaurus Conybeare 1824 Valid. Pliosaurus Owen 1841 Valid. Polycotylus Cope 1869 Valid. Polyptychodon Owen 1841 Valid. Procotylus Korotneff 1908 Valid. Rhomaleosaurus Seeley 1871 Valid. Scanisaurus Persson 1959 Valid. "Seeleysaurus" White 1940 Valid. Seeleyosaurus White 1940 Valid. Simolestes Andrews 1909 Valid. Sinopliosaurus Young 1944 Valid. lK Spondylosaurus Fisher 1845 Jr. synonym junior synonym of Pliosaurus Sulcusuchus Gasparini Spalletti 1992 Valid. uK Rio Negro and Chubut Province, Argentina Stereosaurus Seeley 1869 Valid. Sthenarosaurus Watson 1911 Valid. lJ "Stretosaurus" Tarlo 1959 Jr. synonym possible junior synonym of Liopleurodon Strongylokrotaphus Novozhilov 1964 Jr. synonym junior synonym of Pliosaurus Styxosaurus Welles 1952 Valid. uK Taphrosaurus Cope 1870 Valid. uK Tapinosaurus Rabeck 1925 Valid. "Tatenectes" Knight 1900 Valid. Terminonatator Sato 2003 Valid. uK Thalassiodracon Storrs Taylor 1996 Valid. uT-lJ Thalassiosaurus Welles 1953 Valid. junior synonym of Styxosaurus Thalassomedon Welles 1943 Valid. uK Thalassonomosaurus Welles 1943 Jr. synonym junior synonym of Styxosaurus "Thaumatosaurus" Meyer 1841 Valid. Thililua Bardet Suberbiola Jalil 2003 Valid. uK "Tremamesacleis" White 1940 Valid. uJ possible junior synonym of Muraenosaurus Tricleidus Andrews 1909 Valid. Trinacromerum Cragin 1888 Valid. uK Tuarangisaurus Wiffen Moisley 1986 Valid. uK Turneria Chatterjee Small 1989 Valid. preoccupied by a genus of ant Umoonasaurus Kear Schroeder Lee 2006 Valid. lK Uronautes Cope 1870 Valid. uK Vinialesaurus Gasparini Bardet Vinent Iturralde 2002 Valid. uJ Westphaliasaurus Schwermann Sander 2011 Valid. lJ Europe Woolungasaurus Persson 1960 Valid. lK Yuzhoupliosaurus Zhang 1985 Valid. mJ Zarafasaura Vincent Pereda-Suberbiola Bouya Amaghzaz Meslouh 2011 Valid. uK Africa		Attenborosaurus. Brancasaurus. Cryptoclidus. Dolichorhynchops. Elasmosaurus. Kaiwhekea. Kronosaurus. Leptocleidus. Liopleurodon. Macroplata. Muraenosaurus. Peloneustes. Plesiopleurodon. Plesiosaurus. Pliosaurus. Polyptychodon. Rhomaleosaurus. Seeleysaurus. Simolestes. Styxosaurus. Zosuchus. Thalassomedon. Trinacromerum.

See also

• Sauropterygia
  • Plesiosaur
    • Elasmosaur
    • Pliosaur

• List of dinosaurs
• List of ichthyosaurs
• List of mosasaurs
• List of pterosaurs

References

• Haaramo, Mikko (15 November 2005). "Plesiosauria". Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/haaramo/Metazoa/Deuterostoma/Chordata/Reptilia/Sauropterygia/Plesiosauria.htm. Retrieved 17 May 2006. 
• Smith, Adam Stuart. "Plesiosaur Genera". The Plesiosaur Directory. http://www.plesiosauria.com/genera.html. Retrieved 17 May 2006.