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Nothosaurus

Reptilia - Sauropterygia - Nothosauridae

Taxonomy

Nothosaurus was named by Münster (1834) [Sepkoski's age data: Tr Anis-m Tr Carn-u Sepkoski's reference number: 2,1044]. It is the type genus of Nothosaurinae.

It was assigned to Nexipodes by Meyer (1845); to Ichthyosauridae by d'Orbigny (1849); to Sauropterygia by Owen (1861) and Leidy (1873); to Plesiosauridae by Cope (1871), Cope (1875) and Hay (1902); to Nothosaurinae by Rieppel and Wild (1996); to Notosauria by Sepkoski (2002); and to Nothosauridae by Lydekker (1889), Young (1965), Sues (1987), Carroll (1988), Rieppel (1994), Rieppel (1995), Rieppel and Mazin (1997), Rieppel (2000), Rieppel (2001), Albers and Rieppel (2003), Jiang et al. (2006), Chrzastek (2008), Klein and Albers (2009), Liu et al. (2014) and Hinz et al. (2019).

Species lacking formal opinion data

N. marchius

View classification of included taxa

Synonyms

Shingyisaurus unexpectus was named by Young (1965). Its type specimen is IVPP V.2800, a skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Langmu, Tachai village, Tingshao of Shingyi Hsien, which is in a Longobardian marine shale in the Falang Formation of China. It is the type species of Shingyisaurus.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Rieppel (1998).
Dracosaurus was named by Munster (1834).

It was synonymized subjectively with Nothosaurus by Lydekker (1889) and Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Plesiosaurus speciosus was named by Munster (1834).

It was synonymized subjectively with Nothosaurus mirabilis by Lydekker (1889); it was considered a nomen nudum by Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Nothosaurus venustus was named by Munster (1834). Its type specimen is LOST specimen, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Esperstädt, which is in an Anisian marine horizon in the Jena Formation of Germany.

It was synonymized subjectively with Conchiosaurus clavatus by Lydekker (1889); it was considered a nomen dubium by Meyer (1847) and Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Kolposaurus was named by Skuphos (1893).

It was synonymized subjectively with Nothosaurus by Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Simosaurus mougeoti was named by Meyer (1847). Its type specimen is LOST specimen, a mandible (partial mandible), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Blainville, Lunéville, which is in a Ladinian marine limestone in France.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Rieppel (1994) and Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Opeosaurus was named by Meyer (1847).

It was synonymized subjectively with Simosaurus by Kuhn (1934); it was synonymized subjectively with Nothosaurus by Rieppel (1994).
Nothosaurus hecki was named by Fritsch (1894). Its type specimen is Ha no. 12/41 and is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Halle/Saale, which is in an Anisian marine horizon in Germany.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Kolposaurus dichthadius was named by Skuphos (1893). Its type specimen is MGU Wr 3934s, a partial skeleton (fragmentary remains), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Gogoliner Schichten, Muschelkalk, Chorzow, which is in an Anisian marginal marine mixed carbonate-siliciclastic in the Wellenkalk Formation of Poland.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Elmosaurus lelmensis was named by Huene (1957). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Lelm, near Braunschweig, which is in a Ladinian marine horizon in Germany.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Metriorhynchus priscus was named by Münster (1834).

It was considered a nomen nudum by Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Elmosaurus was named by Huene (1957) [Sepkoski's age data: Tr m]. It is not extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Nothosaurus by Rieppel and Wild (1996).

It was assigned to Simosaurinae by Young (1965); and to Notosauria by Sepkoski (2002).
Paranothosaurus was named by Peyer (1939) [Sepkoski's age data: Tr Ladi-l Sepkoski's reference number: 1044]. It is not extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Nothosaurus by Rieppel (1994), Rieppel and Wild (1996) and Rieppel (1998).

It was assigned to Nothosauridae by Young (1965), Sues (1987) and Carroll (1988); and to Notosauria by Sepkoski (2002).
Shingyisaurus was named by Young (1965) [Sepkoski's age data: Tr m]. Its type is Shingyisaurus unexpectus.

It was synonymized subjectively with Nothosaurus by Rieppel (1998).

It was assigned to Simosaurinae by Young (1965); and to Notosauria by Sepkoski (2002).
Nothosaurus schimperi was named by Meyer (1834). Its type specimen is . and is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Rieppel and Wild (1996).
Conchiosaurus clavatus was named by Meyer (1833). Its type specimen is BSP AS I 1446, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Esperstädt, which is in an Anisian marine horizon in the Jena Formation of Germany.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Rieppel and Wild (1996).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1833	Conchiosaurus clavatus Meyer
1834	Nothosaurus schimperi Meyer
1834	Nothosaurus venustus Munster p. 525
1834	Plesiosaurus speciosus Munster p. 525
1834	Dracosaurus Munster p. 526
1834	Metriorhynchus priscus Münster
1834	Nothosaurus Münster
1845	Nothosaurus Meyer p. 281
1847	Simosaurus mougeoti Meyer
1847	Opeosaurus Meyer p. 82 figs. Plate 14, figs 7-9
1849	Nothosaurus d'Orbigny p. 211
1861	Nothosaurus Owen p. 229
1861	Nothosaurus schimperi Owen p. 233
1861	Conchiosaurus clavatus Owen p. 234
1871	Nothosaurus Cope p. 235
1873	Nothosaurus Leidy p. 345
1875	Nothosaurus Cope p. 15
1889	Nothosaurus Lydekker p. 288
1893	Kolposaurus Skuphos p. 14
1893	Kolposaurus dichthadius Skuphos p. 14
1894	Nothosaurus hecki Fritsch
1902	Nothosaurus Hay p. 457
1939	Paranothosaurus Peyer
1957	Elmosaurus Huene
1957	Elmosaurus lelmensis Huene
1965	Shingyisaurus unexpectus Young p. 316 figs. Pl. 4-5
1965	Shingyisaurus Young p. 318 figs. 4-5
1965	Shingyisaurus unexpectus Young p. 341 figs. Plates 4-5
1965	Elmosaurus Young p. 354
1965	Nothosaurus Young p. 355
1965	Paranothosaurus Young p. 355
1987	Nothosaurus Sues p. 187
1987	Paranothosaurus Sues p. 187
1988	Nothosaurus Carroll
1988	Paranothosaurus Carroll
1994	Nothosaurus Rieppel p. 10 fig. 1
1995	Nothosaurus Rieppel p. 734
1996	Nothosaurus Rieppel and Wild p. 3
1997	Nothosaurus Rieppel and Mazin
2000	Nothosaurus Rieppel
2001	Nothosaurus Rieppel
2002	Elmosaurus Sepkoski, Jr.
2002	Nothosaurus Sepkoski, Jr.
2002	Paranothosaurus Sepkoski, Jr.
2002	Shingyisaurus Sepkoski, Jr.
2003	Nothosaurus Albers and Rieppel p. 738 figs. 1-4
2006	Nothosaurus Jiang et al.
2008	Nothosaurus Chrzastek p. 232
2009	Nothosaurus Klein and Albers
2014	Nothosaurus Liu et al.
2019	Nothosaurus Hinz et al.

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Triploblastica
—	Nephrozoa
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1847
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
—	Sarcopterygii
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda	()
—	Reptiliomorpha

Rank	Name	Author
—	Anthracosauria
—	Batrachosauria	()
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida
—	Diapsida	()
order	Sauropterygia
order	Eosauropterygia
family	Nothosauridae	Baur 1889
genus	Nothosaurus	Münster 1834

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
O. Rieppel 1995	"Medium-sized to large eusauropterygians with a longirostrine skull, constricted snout, large and elongated upper temporal fossae, posteriorly displaced pineal foramen, paired fangs in the maxilla, enlarged fangs in the posterior symphyseal area of the lower jaw, lower jaw symphysis distinctly elongated and distinctly set off from lower jaw ramus, vertebrae platycoelous and non-notochordal with short and stout transverse processes."
O. Rieppel and R. Wild 1996	Small to large eusauropterygians of the family Nothosauridae; maxillary tooth row extending well beyond level of anterior margin of upper temporal fenestra; paired maxillary fangs followed by a palisade of densely set, distinctly smaller, conical teeth; longitudinal diameter of the upper temporal fenestra between two and four times the longitudinal diameter of the orbit; never more than three ossifications in carpus or tarsus of adult.