Leptonectes
| Leptonectes Temporal range: Late Triassic - Early Jurassic, | |
|---|---|
| skeleton of Leptonectes tenuirostris (NHMUK PV R 498) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Ichthyosauria |
| Family: | †Leptonectidae |
| Genus: | †Leptonectes McGowan, 1996 |
| Species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Leptopterygius Huene, 1929 | |
Leptonectes is a genus of ichthyosaur that lived in the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (Rhaetian - Pliensbachian). Fossils have been found in Belgium, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. A possible specimen from Switzerland first reported in 2006, has been reclassified as that of Hauffiopteryx. The type species, L. tenuirostris, reached 4 metres (13 ft) long, whereas L. moorei (NHMUK PV R 14370) likely reached 3 metres (9.8 ft) long ; the largest species, L. solei, was approximately 5–6 metres (16–20 ft) long.