List of plesiosaur genera


This list of plesiosaurs is a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the order Plesiosauria, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera that are now considered invalid, doubtful, or were not formally published, as well as junior synonyms of more established names, and genera that are no longer considered plesiosaurs. The list currently includes 190 genera.

Scope and terminology

There is no official, canonical list of plesiosaur genera but one of the most thorough attempts can be found on the Plesiosauria section of Mikko Haaramo's Phylogeny Archive; also pertinent is the Plesiosaur Genera section at Adam Stuart Smith's Plesiosaur Directory.
Naming conventions and terminology follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Technical terms used include:

Footnotes