Pleurosternidae is an extinct family of freshwater turtles belonging to Paracryptodira. They are definitively known from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Western Europe and North America.

Genera

Valid taxa

Uluops from the Late Jurassic of North America may also belong to Pleurosternidae.

Invalid taxa

  • Desmemys Bückeberg Formation, Germany, Berriasian (nomen dubium)

Ecology

The high morphological diversity of skulls of the group suggests high ecological plasticity. Glyptops and Pleurosternon exhibit adaptions likely for suction feeding, while Dorsteochelys was likely a dietary generalist.