Gondwananectes

Otero et al. 2026

Gondwananectes is an extinct genus of plesiosauroid plesiosaur known from the Middle Jurassic Quehuita Formation of Chile. The genus contains a single species, Gondwananectes osvaldoi, known from a partial skeleton.

Temporal range

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

Paleogene

Neogene

252 201 145 66 0 Ma

PBDB occurrences

Group

Sauroptérygiens

Carnivore aquatic, depth=surface Marine

click to enlarge

MUHNCAL.20173, holotype specimen of Gondwananectes osvaldoi. A, quarry scheme of the recovered blocks (numbered 1–7). Blocks 1–3 preserve contact surfaces and they are arranged consistently. The position of blocks 4–7 is tentative due to the lack of contact surfaces, although it is based on the anatomical elements preserved. B, schematic diagram of the preserved anatomical elements in MUHNCAL.20173. Abbreviations: c1–c10, cervical centra/vertebrae; d1–d3, dorsal centra; d1na–d3na, neural arches of the d1–d3 dorsal centra; il, ilium fragment; in, indeterminate; lco, left coracoid, lcna, last cervical neural arch; lh, left humerus; lsc, left scapula (ventral process); p1–p2, pectoral centra; pd, posterior dorsal centrum; pna, pectoral neural arch; r, ribs; rh, right humerus (distal); rsc, right scapula (dorsal process). Scale bars represent 10 cm. © Rodrigo Otero · CC0 · Wikimedia

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Classification

Sauropterygia Suborder

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Plesiosauria Order

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Plesiosauroidea Superfamily

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Gondwananectes Genus

Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites

Distribution

Top countries

🇨🇱 Chile

Geological formations

Quehuita

Temporal distribution

Bajocian (170.9–168.2 Ma)

Species (1)

Gondwananectes osvaldoi 171 Ma

Images 1

Bibliography

Original description

R. A. Otero, S. S. Acuña, and A. O. Vargas, J. Rojas, H. Ortiz, G. Aguirrezabala. 2026. A new Middle Jurassic marine reptile from Gondwana clarifies the origin of Cryptoclidia, the most successful group of plesiosaurs. Papers in Palaeontology 12(2) DOI ↗

Bibliography (1)

Gondwananectes

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