Metoposaurids were one of the first clades of temnospondyls to be named on the basis of
Metoposaurus diagnosticus from Germany, named in 1842 by German paleontologist
Hermann von Meyer. Several additional species of questionable validity were named in the early 20th century from Italy (
Metoposaurus santecrucis) and Germany (
Metoposaurus stuttgartensis,
Metoposaurus heimi). Although metoposaurids are common in Late Triassic deposits of Germany, The majority of work on metoposaurids has been descriptive or taxonomic in nature, with a very large number of named taxa, the majority of which have now been synonymized with other taxa or determined to not be diagnostic at the species level. The taxonomy of the clade has undergone significant revision as a result. ==Taphonomy==