Lariosaurus

{{Short description|Extinct genus of reptiles}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = Anisian-Carnian, {{fossil_range|247.2|235}}

| image = Lariosaurus balsami-P4150517-white.jpg

| image_caption = Lariosaurus balsami

| taxon = Lariosaurus

| authority = Curioni, 1847

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =

• {{extinct}}L. balsami Curioni, 1847 (type)
• {{extinct}}L. buzzii? Tschanz, 1989
• {{extinct}}L. curionii Rieppel, 1998
• {{extinct}}L. hongguoensis Jiang et al., 2006
• {{extinct}}L. juvenilis Edinger, 1921
• {{extinct}}L. stensioi (Haas, 1963) Rieppel, Mazin & Tchernov, 1999
• {{extinct}}L. valceresii Tintori & Renesto, 1990
• {{extinct}}L. vosseveldensis Klein et al., 2016
• {{extinct}}L. winkelhorsti Klein & Albers, 2004
• {{extinct}}L. xingyiensis Li, Liu & Rieppel, 2002
• {{extinct}}L. youngi Li & Rieppel, 2004

| synonyms =

{{collapsible list|bullets = true

|title=Genus synonymy

|Deirosaurus
Owen, 1854 (nomen dubium)

|Eupodosaurus
Boulenger, 1891

|Macromerosaurus
Curioni, 1847 emend. Curioni, 1854

|Phygosaurus
Arthaber, 1924

|Rhaticonia
Broili, 1927

|Micronothosaurus
Haas, 1963

}}

{{collapsible list|bullets = true

|title=Species synonymy

|Micronothosaurus stensioi
Haas, 1963

|Nothosaurus juvenilis Edinger, 1921

|Nothosaurus youngi Li & Rieppel, 2004

|Nothosaurus winkelhorsti Klein & Albers, 2004

Synonyms of L. balsami:

|Deirosaurus italicus
Owen, 1854 (nomen dubium)

|Eupodosaurus longobardicus
Boulenger, 1891

|Lariosaurus lavizzarii
Kuhn-Schynder, 1987 (nomen dubium)

|Macromerosaurus plinii
Curioni, 1847 emend. Curioni, 1854

|Phygosaurus balsami
Arthaber, 1924 (not Curioni, 1847)

|Proneusticosaurus carinthiacus
Arthaber, 1924

|Rhaticonia rothpletzi
Broili, 1927

}}

}}

Lariosaurus is an extinct genus of nothosaurid from the Middle Triassic (late Anisian to late Ladinian stage) of central and western Europe and China. With a complete specimen of L. xingyiensis measuring {{cvt|70.5|cm|ft|1}} long and L. hongguoensis possibly measuring up to {{cvt|80|cm|ft}} long,{{cite journal|author1=Wen-Bin Lin|author2=Da-Yong Jiang|author3=Olivier Rieppel|author4=Ryosuke Motani|author5=Cheng Ji|author6=Andrea Tintori|author7=Zuo-Yu Sun|author8=Min Zhou|year=2017|title=A new specimen of Lariosaurus xingyiensis (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) from the Ladinian (Middle Triassic) Zhuganpo Member, Falang Formation, Guizhou, China|journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology|volume=37|issue=2|at=e1278703|doi=10.1080/02724634.2017.1278703}}{{cite journal|author1=Qiyue Zhang |author2=Wen Wen |author3=Shixue Hu |author4=Michael J. Benton |author5=Changyong Zhou |author6=Tao Xie |author7=Tao Lü |author8=Jinyuan Huang |author9=Brian Choo|author10=Zhong-Qiang Chen |author11=Jun Liu |author12=Qican Zhang |title=Nothosaur foraging tracks from the Middle Triassic of southwestern China|journal=Nature Communications|volume=5|at=3973|year=2014|doi=10.1038/ncomms4973|doi-access=free }} it was one of the smallest known nothosaurs. First discovered at Perledo on the Lake Como in 1830, it was named in 1847 by Curioni, its name meaning "Lizard from Larius", the ancient name of the lake. This makes it one of the earliest studied reptiles from the Alps. It is known from an almost complete skeleton holotype and several other fairly complete fossils.

The nothosaur Eupodosaurus, initially classified as a stegosaurian dinosaur, is now considered synonymous with Lariosaurus. In 1998 Rieppel synonymised Lariosaurus, Silvestrosaurus and Ceresiosaurus, but this is disputed by many authors and they are usually considered close relatives.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/statusofsauropte38riep|title=The status of the sauropterygian reptile genera Ceresiosaurus, Lariosaurus, and Silvestrosaurus from the Middle Triassic of Europe|last=Rieppel|first=Olivier|date=1998|publisher=Chicago, Ill. : Field Museum of Natural History|others=University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign}}