Genus
Valid Extinct

Simosaurus

Meyer 1842

Simosaurus is an extinct genus of marine reptile within the superorder Sauropterygia from the Middle Triassic of central Europe. Fossils have been found in deposits in France and Germany that are roughly 230 million years old. It is usually classified as a nothosaur, but has also been considered a pachypleurosaur or a more primitive sauropterygian.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
15
Group
Sauroptérygiens
Marine
Simosaurus
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fossil of simosaurus © Ghedoghedo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Sauropterygia Suborder
›
Nothosauria Order
›
Simosauridae Family
›
Simosaurus Genus
Fossil sites 15 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇩🇪 Germany
8
🇫🇷 France
3
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
2
🇮🇱 Israel
1
🇮🇹 Italy
1
Geological formations
Jilh
2
Gevanim
1
Erfurt
1
Raibl
1
Rio del Lago
1
Temporal distribution
Rhaetian (205.7–201.4 Ma)
1
Carnian (237–227.3 Ma)
2
Ladinian (241.464–237 Ma)
10
Anisian (247–241.464 Ma)
2
Species (3)
Ichthyosaurus lunevillensis subjective synonym of Simosaurus gaillardoti 247 Ma
Simosaurus gaillardoti 247 Ma
Simosaurus guilielmi objective synonym of Simosaurus gaillardoti 247 Ma
Bibliography
Original description
J. J., Jr. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560
Bibliography (10)
B. P. Kear, T. H. Rich, and P. Vickers-Rich, M. A. Ali, Y. A. Al-Mufarrih, A. D. Matari, A. M. Al-Masary, M. A. Halawani. 2010. A review of aquatic vertebrate remains from the Middle-Upper Triassic Jilh Formation of Saudi Arabia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 122:1-8 DOI ↗
F. M. Dalla Vecchia. 2008. First record of Simosaurus (Sauropterygia, Nothosauroidea) from the Carnian (Late Triassic) of Italy. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 114(2):273-285
P. Vickers-Rich, T. H. Rich, and O. Rieppel, R. A. Thulborn, H. A. McClure. 1999. A Middle Triassic vertebrate fauna from the Jilh Formation, Saudi Arabia. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 213:201-232 DOI ↗
O. Rieppel. 1994. Osteology of Simosaurus gaillardoti and the relationships of stem-group Sauropterygia. Fieldiana: Geology, new series 28:1-85 DOI ↗
O. Rieppel. 1994. The braincases of Simosaurus and Nothosaurus: monophyly of the Nothosauridae (Reptilia: Sauropterygia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14(1):9-23 DOI ↗
G. Haas. 1981. A fragmentary skull of Simosaurus (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Middle Triassic of the Makhtesh Ramon, Israel. Israel Journal of Zoology 30:30-34
E. Fraas. 1896. Die Schwäbischen Trias-Saurier nach dem Material der Kgl. Naturalien-Sammlung in Stuttgart zusammengestellt [Swabian Triassic dinosaurs based on the material in the Royal Natural History Collection compiled in Stuttgart]. Festgabe des Königlichen Naturalien-Cabinets In Stuttgart zur 42 Versammlung der Deutschen geologischen Gesellschaft in Stuttgart, August 1896. E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlag-handlung (E. Koch), Stuttgart
S. von Wöhrmann. 1889. Die Fauna der sogenannten Cardita- und Raibler-Schichten in den Nordtiroler und bayerischen Alpen. Jahrbuch des kaiserlich-königlichen Geologischen Reichsanstalt, Wein 39:181-258
M. J. Henry. 1876. L'Infralias dans la Franche-Comté [The Lower Lias of Franche-Comté]. Mémoires de la Société d'Émulation du Doubs, 4e série 10:287-486
P. Gervais. 1852. Zoologie et Paléontologie Françaises (Animaux Vertébrés) ou Nouvelles Recherches sur les Animaux Vivants et Fossiles de la France. 1–3:1-274+ DOI ↗