- Protosuchia
Taxobox
name = Protosuchians
fossil_range =Late Triassic -Late Cretaceous
image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Protosuchus "
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
subclassis =Diapsida
infraclassis =Archosauromorpha
superordo =Crocodylomorpha
subordo = Protosuchia
subordo_authority = Mook, 1934
subdivision_ranks = Families
subdivision =
*Protosuchidae Protosuchians are early
crocodilia ns that were small in size (~1 metre in length) and terrestrial.Protosuchian genera
Recent
phylogenetic analyses have not supported Protosuchia as a natural group. However, two studies found a clade ofLate Triassic -Early Jurassic animals:Pol D, Ji S-a, Clark JM, Chiappe LM. 2004. Basal crocodyliforms from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group (Xinjiang, China), and the phylogenetic position of "Edentosuchus". "Cretaceous Research" 25: 603-622.] Fiorelli LE, Calvo JO. 2007. The first "protosuchian" (Archosauria: Crocodyliformes) from the Cretaceous (Santonian) of Gondwana. "Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro" 65 (4): 417-459.]*"
Orthosuchus "
*"Protosuchus "
*"Hemiprotosuchus "
*"Edentosuchus "Both of these studies also found a
clade more closely related to "Hsisosuchus " andMesoeucrocodylia consisting ofLate Jurassic -Late Cretaceous genera:*"
Zosuchus "
*"Sichuanosuchus "
*"Shantungosuchus "
*"Neuquensuchus "However, other possible protosuchians from the
Late Cretaceous ofChina -Mongolia , theGobiosuchidae ("Gobiosuchus " and "Zaraasuchus "), have been found to either intermediate between these two clades, or members of the or the "Sichuanosuchus"-clade.References
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