Leptocleididae

Leptocleididae Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, Berriasian–Albian PreЄ Є 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
Subgroups
See text.

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

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. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01083.x.
2. Ketchum, H. F., and 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: 361–392. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2009.00107.x. PMID 20002391.