Paraplacosauriops was originally named Plestiodon quercyi by Filhol on the basis of dentary remains from fissure filldeposits in Quercy, France. Hoffstetter referred P. quercyi to the glyptosaurine genusPlacosaurus, which is likewise endemic to Europe. However, Auge and Sullivan recognized quercyi as belonging to the tribe Melanosaurini and not a Placosaurus-like glyptosaurin, so they erectedParaplacosauriops for P. quercyi.