Genus
Valid Extinct

Anarosaurus

Dames 1890

Anarosaurus is an extinct genus of pachypleurosaurs that lived in the Middle Triassic period (Anisian) and has been found in the Jena Formation and the Karlstadt Formation of Germany and the Winterswijk Quarry of The Netherlands. Two species are known: A. pumilio and A. heterodontus. The holotype of A. pumilio was originally housed at the Institut und Museum fur Geologie und Palaontologie, Georg-August-Universitat, Göttingen, but can no longer be located today because it was lost or destroyed during World War II. Anarosaurus was a small reptile with an estimated body length of 50–60 cm (1.6–2.0 ft).

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
4
Group
Sauroptérygiens
Marine
Anarosaurus
click to enlarge
Anarosaurus heterodontus humeri from Winterswijk in dorsal view. © Nicole Klein · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Sauropterygia Suborder
Eosauropterygia Order
Pachypleurosauroidea Superfamily
Pachypleurosauridae Family
Anarosaurus Genus
Fossil sites 4 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇳🇱 Netherlands
2
🇩🇪 Germany
2
Geological formations
Vossenveld
2
Jena
1
Temporal distribution
Anisian (246.7–241.464 Ma)
4
Species (2)
Anarosaurus heterodontus 247 Ma
Anarosaurus pumilio 247 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
J. J., Jr. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560
Bibliography (3)
P. M. Sander, N. Klein, and P. C. H. Albers, C. Bickelmann, H. Winkelhorst. 2014. Postcranial morphology of a basal Pistosauroidea (Sauropterygia) from the Lower Muschelkalk of Winterswijk, The Netherlands. Palaeontologische Zeitschrift 88:55-71 DOI ↗
C. Bickelmann and P. M. Sander. 2008. A partial skeleton and isolated humeri of Nothosaurus (Reptilia: Eosauropterygia) from Winterswijk, The Netherlands. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28(2):326-338 DOI ↗
O. Rieppel and K. Lin. 1995. Pachypleurosaurs (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Lower Muschelkalk, and a review of the Pachypleurosauroidea. Fieldiana: Geology, new series (32):1-44 DOI ↗