The type species N. parringtoni was first described in 1956 in the doctoral dissertation of English paleontologist Alan J. Charig, but it was not formally described until 2013.
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In 2013 a new description was published by Sterling Nesbitt, Paul Barrett, Sarah Werning and Christian Sidor, including the late Charig as posthumous co-author, ensuring the validity of the name Nyasasaurus parringtoni.