Nothosauroidea from the Vossenveld Formation and their relatives

Research into Sauropterygia in general and nothosaurs in particular has seen a long history (consider e.g. Conybeare (1821) and Münster (1834), respectively) that intimately ties in with the early development of vertebrate palaeontology as we know it today. Several species in the sauropterygian clade Nothosauroidea, colloquially referred to as nothosaurs, are presently recognised within the diverse vertebrate assemblage of the Anisian Vossenveld Formation. Here, we will introduce the phylogenetic, morphological, and ecological diversity of Middle Triassic nothosaurs in general, and those present in or contemporaneous with the Vossenveld Formation in particular.