Leptocleididae

Leptocleididae is a family of small-sized plesiosaurs that lived during the Early Cretaceous period (early Berriasian to early Albian stage).^[1] They had small bodies with small heads and short necks. Leptocleidus and Umoonasaurus had round bodies and triangle-shaped heads. Leptocleidids have been found in what were shallow nearshore, freshwater and brackish habitats.^[2] Hilary F. Ketchum and Roger B. J. Benson (2010), transferred Brancasaurus, Kaiwhekea, Nichollssaura and Thililua to this family.^[3] However, Ketchum and Benson (2011) reassigned Kaiwhekea and Thililua to their original positions, as an elasmosaurid and a polycotylid, respectively.^[1]

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
Superfamily:	†Plesiosauroidea
Clade:	†Leptocleidia
Family:	†Leptocleididae White, 1940
Genera
†Brancasaurus †Hastanectes †Leptocleidus †Nichollssaura †Umoonasaurus †Vectocleidus

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