| Plesiopterys Temporal range: Early Jurassic,
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|---|---|
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| Skeletal reconstruction | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
| Order: | †Plesiosauria |
| Superfamily: | †Plesiosauroidea |
| Genus: | †Plesiopterys O'Keefe, 2004 |
| Type species | |
| Plesiopterys wildi O'Keefe, 2004
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| Synonyms | |
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P. guilelmiimperatoris, Guilelmi imperatoris | |
Plesiopterys (“plesio” meaning “near,” and “pterys” meaning “wing” or “pterygoid bone”) is an extinct genus of plesiosaur originating from the Posidonienschiefer of Holzmaden, Germany, and lived during the Early Jurassic period. It is thought to be the sister taxon to all other plesiosauroids including the Plesiosaurus, and is placed outside of the Plesiosauroidea group.[1] Plesiopterys wildi is the one known species within the genus, and is 220 centimeters long, or about 7.2 feet, and its body and skull are both relatively small. It possesses a unique combination of both primitive and derived characters, and is currently displayed at the State Museum of Natural History, Germany.[2]
- ^ Grossman, Franziska (2007). "The Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Position of the Plesiosauridia from the Lower Jurassic Posidonia Shale of South-West Germany". Palaeontology. 50 (3): 545–564. Bibcode:2007Palgy..50..545G. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00654.x. S2CID 130961209.
- ^ O'Keefe, F. Robin (2004). "Preliminary Description and Phylogenetic Position of a New Plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Toarcian of Holzmaden, Germany" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology. 78 (5): 973–988. Bibcode:2004JPal...78..973O. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2004)078<0973:PDAPPO>2.0.CO;2. S2CID 53590349.