The Plesiosauridae are a monophyletic group of

plesiosaurs The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, ''plesios'', meaning "near to" and ''sauros'', meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia. Plesiosaurs first appeared ...

.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'', v. 85, p. 361-392 A

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Plesiosauridae was first named by

John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoology, zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ...

in 1825.John Edward Gray, 1825, "A Synopsis of the Genera of Reptiles and Amphibia, with a Description of some new Species", ''Annals of Philosophy'' 10: 193–217

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3498250 Plesiosaurs Jurassic plesiosaurs Hettangian first appearances Late Jurassic extinctions Taxa named by John Edward Gray it:Plesiosauridae