Nothosaurus ” juvenilis Edinger, 1921

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

“ Nothosaurus ” juvenilis Edinger, 1921

Holotype.

GIUH König Collection K.8698-1 , incomplete cranium (Rieppel 1994).

Type locality.

Nusslocher Zementbruch, Wiesloch near Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg.

Type horizon.

Trochitenkalk Formation, Upper Muschelkalk Group. Age: Middle Triassic (Anisian: Illyrian).

Diagnosis.

Distinguished by the following combination of features: condylobasal length of cranium 12.6 cm; orbit relatively large; postorbital arches relatively narrow; pterygoids closely approaching internal narial openings; paroccipital processes extending posterolaterally, with posterior displacement of craniomandibular articulation to level well behind occipital condyle; and occiput deeply concave ( Rieppel and Wild 1996).

Comments.

Edinger (1921) only used the new binomen in a figure legend but provided no additional information. The phylogenetic analysis by Lin et al. (2017) found “ Nothosaurus ” juvenilis at the base of a clade comprising all species assigned to Lariosaurus and including two other taxa previously referred to Nothosaurus including N. juvenilis . Given the polyphyly of “ Nothosaurus ” suggested by these authors, their hypothesis requires testing through a modern revision of all known nothosaurid eosauropterygians.

References.

Edinger (1921), Schultze (1970), Rieppel (1994 b, 2000), Rieppel and Wild (1996), Lin et al. (2017).