An armoured marine reptile from the Early Triassic of South China

A Polish-Chinese research team described a new saurosphargid marine reptile from the Early Triassic of China (Hubei Province) – Prosaurosphargis yingzishanensis. A phylogenetic hypothesis on relationships between the major groups of reptiles presented in the article proposes that saurosphargids are nested within Sauropterygia, a group of Mesozoic marine reptiles, which also includes the famous plesiosaurs. Sauropterygians themselves were recovered as members of Archelosauria, a large group of reptiles that also includes turtles and archosauromorphs (crocodiles, dinosaurs, birds, and their relatives).

Reconstruction by Zhixin Han.