Nothosaurus giganteus Münster, 1834

Sues, Hans-Dieter & Schoch, Rainer R., 2025, Synopsis of the Triassic reptiles from Germany, Fossil Record 28 (2), pp. 411-483 : 411-483

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/fr.28.164405
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E2366C87-D1C3-4F5A-A21D-1A7A5D49BB8F
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17823931
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/92366053-AB60-5266-9ACF-9BFF2C8F88DF
treatment provided by	by Pensoft
scientific name	Nothosaurus giganteus Münster, 1834
status

Treatment

Holotype.

UMO BT 000685.00 , skull fragments.

Type locality.

Oschenberg near Laineck (also known as Lainecker Berg or Lainecker Höhenzug), east of Bayreuth, Bavaria.

Type horizon.

Ceratites flexuosus through C. compressus zones , upper part of Trochitenkalk Formation and lower part of Meissner Formation, Upper Muschelkalk Subgroup. Age: Middle Triassic (Anisian: Illyrian).

Referred material (from Germany).

See list in Rieppel and Wild (1996). Referred specimens include the holotypes for N. aduncidens Meyer, 1853 ( SMNS 4200 ), N. angustifrons Meyer & Plieninger, 1844 ( SMNS 51972 ), N. baruthicus Geissler, 1895 ( SMF R 475), N. chelydrops E. Fraas, 1896 ( SMNS 7162 ), and Opeosaurus suevicus Meyer, 1855 ( SMNS 4141 ).

Diagnosis.

Distinguished by the following combination of features: adult condylobasal length of cranium up to 75 cm; premaxillary rostrum relatively short and broad; premaxilla with four fangs, followed by distinctly smaller fifth premaxillary tooth; length to width ratio of mandibular symphysis ranging from 1.0 to 1.3; postorbital with narrow entry into posteroventral margin of orbit; and ectopterygoid flange at anterior margin of subtemporal fossa strongly developed ( Rieppel and Wild 1996).

References.

Münster (1834), Meyer (1839, 1847–1855), Schultze (1970), Rieppel (2000), Rieppel and Wild (1996), Hinz et al. (2020).