In Depth
The exact classification of Hauffiosaurus can vary depending upon the source, though most researchers concede that it is almost certainly a pliosaur. Further to this, specimens of the genus are superficially similar to the rhomaleosaurid pliosaurs. In fact, one former species of Macroplata, one of the best known rhomaleosaurids has been re-assigned to Hauffiosaurus, (M. longirostris to H. longirostris). Depending upon the species and specimen, Hauffiosaurus is known to have ranged from about three and a half meters to almost five meters in length.
Further Reading
– Holotype of Plesiosaurus longirostris Blake and classification of the plesiosaurs. – Journal of Paleontology 14(5):451-467. – T. E. White – 1940. - A cladistic analysis and taxonomic revision of the Plesiosauria (Reptilia: Sauropterygia). - Acta Zoologica Fennica 213:1-63. - F. R. O’Keefe - 2001. - New information on Hauffiosaurus (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) based on a new species from the Alum Shale Member (Lower Toarcian: Lower Jurassic) of Yorkshire, UK. - Palaeontology 54(3):547-571. - R. B. J. benson, H. F. Ketchum, L. F. Noe & M. Gomez-Perez - 2011.
