Leptocleididae

Leptocleididae; Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, Berriasian–Albian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Leptocleidus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	†Sauropterygia
Order:	†Plesiosauria
Clade:	†Leptocleidia
Family:	†Leptocleididae; White, 1940
Genera
	†Brancasaurus; †Hastanectes?; †Leptocleidus; †Nichollssaura?; †Umoonasaurus?; †Vectocleidus;

Leptocleididae is a family of small-sized plesiosaurs that lived during the Early Cretaceous period (early Berriasian to early Albian stage).^[1] Leptocleidus and Umoonasaurus had round bodies and triangle-shaped heads. Hilary F. Ketchum and Roger B. J. Benson (2010), transferred Brancasaurus, Kaiwhekea, Nichollssaura and Thililua to this family.^[2] However, Ketchum and Benson (2011) reassigned Kaiwhekea and Thililua to their original positions, as an elasmosaurid and a polycotylid, respectively.^[1]

Phylogeny[]

Leptocleididae

Kaiwhekea

	Nichollssaura

	Thililua

Brancasaurus

Umoonasaurus

Leptocleidus

	L. capensis

	L. superstes

Cladogram based on Ketchum and Benson (2011):^[1]

Leptocleididae

Nichollssaura

Brancasaurus

Umoonasaurus

Leptocleidus

	L. capensis

	L. superstes

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c Hilary F. Ketchum and Roger B. J. Benson (2011). "A new pliosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of England: evidence for a gracile, longirostrine grade of Early-Middle Jurassic pliosaurids". Special Papers in Palaeontology. 86: 109–129.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
^ Ketchum, H. F.; Benson, R. B. J. (2010). "Global interrelationships of Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses". Biological Reviews. 85 (2): 361–392. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00107.x. PMID 20002391. S2CID 12193439.

This article about a plesiosaur is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[Marmornectes-1] Hilary F. Ketchum and Roger B. J. Benson (2011). "A new pliosaurid (Sauropterygia, Plesiosauria) from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic, Callovian) of England: evidence for a gracile, longirostrine grade of Early-Middle Jurassic pliosaurids". Special Papers in Palaeontology. 86: 109–129.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)

[Ketchum2010-2] Ketchum, H. F.; Benson, R. B. J. (2010). "Global interrelationships of Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) and the pivotal role of taxon sampling in determining the outcome of phylogenetic analyses". Biological Reviews. 85 (2): 361–392. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00107.x. PMID 20002391. S2CID 12193439.

[1]

[2]