Plagiosaurus fossil map
Where fossils of Plagiosaurus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 201 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 201 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early tetrapods & amphibians |
|---|---|
| Lived | 215.38–201.4 million years ago (Norian to Rhaetian) |
| Periods | Triassic |
| Family | Plagiosauridae |
| Named by | Jaekel 1914 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 3 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Germany, France, Luxembourg |
| Rock formations | Trossingen, Grès à Avicula contorta, txn:37169 |
About Plagiosaurus
Plagiosaurus is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian. The type and only species is P. depressus, first described by Otto Jaekel in 1914. Arthur Smith Woodward regarded the genus as a synonym of Plagiosternum, but most researchers consider it to be valid. It was paedomorphic, retaining the larval gills in adulthood. Like many stereospondyls, it had weak simplified vertebrae, consisting of large intercentra and neural arches, which is known as the stereospondylous condition.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Plagiosaurus (revision 1292596299), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q594924.
