Pleurosaurus

Extinct genus of reptiles

Pleurosaurus (from πλευρᾱ́ pleurā́, 'rib' or 'side' and σαῦρος saûros, 'lizard') is an extinct genus of aquatic reptiles belonging to the order Rhynchocephalia. Pleurosaurus fossils have primarily been discovered in the Solnhofen Limestone of Bavaria, Germany and the Canjuers lagerstatte near Canjuers, France, both dating to the Late Jurassic. It contains two species, P. goldfussi and P. ginsburgi.

Pleurosaurus was first described from the Solnhofen Limestone by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer in 1834, based on the species Pleurosaurus goldfussi. In 1970 fossils were reported from the lithographic limestones in a quarry near the village of Aiguines in the Canjuers plateau, France. In 1974, Pleurosaurus ginsburgi was described based on MNHN 1983 4 CNJ 67, a mostly complete skeleton found at the Aiguines quarry.

Pleurosaurus is one of the few known aquatic sphenodontians. It reached a maximum body length of The body and especially the tail were elongated, while the limbs were comparatively short. The elongated triangular skull was highly modified from those present in other rhynchocephalians. Pleurosaurus swam via undulating its tail from side to side (anguilliform locomotion), while it probably used its limbs to steer. It lived in shallow marine environments, and was probably piscivorous. Pleurosaurus goldfussi and Pleurosaurus ginsburgi are distinguished by differing skull proportions, different numbers of presacral vertebrae (50 in P. goldfussi vs 57 in P. ginsburgi), and considerably shorter forelimbs on P. ginsburgi.