Pleurosaurus

Pleurosaurus, from Ancient Greek πλευρά (pleurá), meaning "rib" or "side", and σαυρος (sauros), meaning "lizard", is an extinct genus of aquatic reptiles belonging to the order Rhynchocephalia. Pleurosaurus fossils have primarily been discovered in the Solnhofen Limestone of Bavaria, Germany and the Canjuers lagerstatte near Canjuers, France, both dating to the Late Jurassic. It contains two species, P. goldfussi and P. ginsburgi.

== History of discovery == Pleurosaurus was first described from the Solnhofen Limestone by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer in 1834, based on the species Pleurosaurus goldfussi. In 1970 fossils were reported from the lithographic limestones in a quarry near the village of Aiguines in the Canjuers plateau, France. In 1974, Pleurosaurus ginsburgi was described based on MNHN 1983-4-CNJ 67, a mostly complete skeleton found at the Aiguines quarry. Pleurosaurus is one of two unambiguous members of the family Pleurosauridae, alongside Palaeopleurosaurus from the Early Jurassic of Germany. In 2012, fragmentary remains likely belonging to P. goldfussi were reported from central Poland.