|Subdivision of the Triassic system according to the IUGS, as of July 2012.|
In the geologic timescale, the Anisian is the lower stage or earliest age of the Middle Triassic series or epoch and lasted from 247.2 million years ago until ~242 million years ago. The Anisian age succeeds the Olenekian age (part of the Lower Triassic epoch) and precedes the Ladinian age.
Stratigraphic definitions 
The stage and its name were established by Austrian geologists Wilhelm Heinrich Waagen and Carl Diener in 1895. The name comes from Anisus, the Latin name of the river Enns. The original type locality is at Großreifling in the Austrian state of Styria.
The base of the Anisian stage (also the base of the Middle Triassic series) is sometimes laid at the first appearance of conodont species Chiosella timorensis in the stratigraphic record. Other stratigraphers prefer to use the base of magnetic chronozone MT1n. The global reference profile for the base (the GSSP or golden spike) is at a flank of the mountain Deşli Caira in the Romanian Dobruja.
The top of the Anisian (the base of the Ladinian) is at the first appearance of ammonite species Eoprotrachyceras curionii and the ammonite family Trachyceratidae. The conodont species Neogondolella praehungarica appears at the same level.
The Anisian contains six ammonite biozones:
- zone of Nevadites
- zone of Hungarites
- zone of Paraceratites
- zone of Balatonites balatonicus
- zone of Kocaelia
- zone of Acrochordiceras
Examples of vertebrates from this age are:
†Archosauromorphs (non-archosaurians) 
|†Non-archosaurian Archosauromorphs of the Anisian|
†Therapsids (non-mammalian) 
|†Non-mammalian Therapsids of the Anisian|
|Nothosauroids of the Anisian|
|Guizhou and Hubei, China|
|Placodonts of the Anisian|
|Thalattosauria of the Anisian|
|Italy||A very thin, elongated creature (about 2 meters long) that probably swam like an eel, that was probably a fish eater and hunted in deep waters, based on its large eyes (which would allow it to see better in dark water) and the protective bony ring around them (also seen in ichthyosaurs), which prevented them from getting squashed in by the immense water pressure at great depths.|
Ananorites Arthaberites Beyrichites Bosnites Buddhaites Bukowskiites Caucasites Danubites Gangadharites Japonites Laboceras Longobarditoides Mesocladiscites Noetlingites Parapinacoceras Parasageceras Phyllocladiscites Proavites Pseudodanubites Psilocladiscites Salterites Tropigymnites Xiphogymnites Pararcestes Sageceras
Acrochordiceras Alanites Anagymnotoceras Arctohungarites Balatonites Bulogites Cuccoceras Czekanowskites Epacrochordiceras Hollandites Huishuites Inaigymnites Ismidites Kiparisovia Malletophychites Nicomedites Phillipites Platycuccoceras Pronoetlingites Reiflingites Discoptychites Intornites Nevadisculites Paraceratites Parapopanoceras Proarcestes Longobardites Ptychites
Amphipopanoceras Aplococeras Arctogymnites Eudiscoceras Eutomoceras Gymnotoceras Halilucites Judicarites Kellnerites Metadinarites Nevadites Parakellnerites Proteusites Repossia Semiornites Serpianites Stoppaniceras Ticinites Tozerites Tropigastrites Joannites Epigymnites Ceratites Flexoptychites Frechites Norites Gevanites Hungarites
- According to Gradstein et al. (2004); Brack et al. (2005) give 248 to 241 Ma
- The GSSP was established by Grǎdinaru et al. (2007)
- Brack, P.; Rieber, H.; Nicora, A. & Mundil, R.; 2005: The Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Ladinian Stage (Middle Triassic) at Bagolino (Southern Alps, Northern Italy) and its implications for the Triassic time scale, Episodes 28(4), pp. 233–244.
- Grǎdinaru, E.; Orchard, M.J.; Nicora, A.; Gallet, Y.; Besse, J.; Krystyn, L.; Sobolev, E.S.; Atudorei, N.-V. & Ivanova, D.; 2007: The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Anisian Stage: Deşli Caira Hill, North Dobrogea, Romania, Albertiana 36, pp. 54–71.
- Gradstein, F.M.; Ogg, J.G. & Smith, A.G.; 2004: A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University Press.
- GeoWhen Database - Anisian
- Lower Triassic timescale at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
- Lower Triassic timescale at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy.
|Lower/Early Triassic||Middle Triassic||Upper/Late Triassic|
|Induan |Olenekian||Anisian | Ladinian||Carnian | Norian