Metasuchia

Unikonta

Metasuchia Temporal range: Early Jurassic - Recent, 196.5–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skull of Sebecus icaeorhinus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Crocodylomorpha
clade:	Mesoeucrocodylia
clade:	Metasuchia Benton and Clark, 1988
Clades
†Notosuchia Neosuchia

Metasuchia is a major clade within the superorder Crocodylomorpha. It is split into two main groups, Notosuchia and Neosuchia.^[1] Notosuchia is an extinct group that contains primarily small-bodied Cretaceous taxa with heterodont dentitions. Neosuchia includes extant crocodylians and basal taxa such as peirosaurids and pholidosaurids. It is phylogenetically defined by Sereno et al. (2001) as a clade containing Notosuchus terrestris, Crocodylus niloticus, and all descendants of their common ancestor.^[2]

Phylogenetics

The phylogeny of basal metasuchians has experienced many revisions in recent years.^[1] The phylogeny of notosuchians has been particularly revised, with the construction of Sebecia by Larsson and Sues (2007) to include peirosaurids in the clade.^[3] Previously, peirosaurids were placed outside of Notosuchia. Larsson and Sues (2007) also suggested that Sebecosuchia (containing the families Baurusuchidae and Sebecidae) was polyphyletic, as Baurusuchus was placed outside of Sebecia, which itself was placed outside of Notosuchia. However, more recent phylogenetic studies have placed Baurusuchus within Notosuchia once again, although it is still not considered to be a sebecosuchian.^[1]

Baurusuchus salgadoensis

Notosuchus terrestris

Araripesuchus wegeneri

Montsecosuchus depereti

Uberabasuchus terrificus

Sarcosuchus imperator

Stomatosuchus inermis

Isisfordia duncani

Gavialis gangeticus

Caiman yacare

Crocodylus porosus

Cladogram after Sereno et al., 2001:^[2]

Metasuchia	Notosuchia Araripesuchus Simosuchus Baurusuchus Sebecus Malawisuchus Notosuchus  Peirosauridae  Stolokrosuchus Peirosaurus Atoposauridae  Neosuchia  Sunosuchus Goniopholis Pholidosaurus Dyrosaurus Terminonaris Sarcosuchus Bernissartia Crocodylia

Cladogram after Sereno et al., 2003:^[4]

Metasuchia	Notosuchia  Comahuesuchus Anatosuchus Simosuchus Araripesuchus Baurusuchus Sebecus Malawisuchus Notosuchus Atoposauridae  Peirosauridae  Peirosaurus Stolokrosuchus  Neosuchia  Sunosuchus Goniopholis Pholidosaurus Dyrosaurus Terminonaris Sarcosuchus Bernissartia Crocodylia

Cladogram after Sereno and Larsson, 2009:^[1]

Metasuchia

Notosuchia  Baurusuchus Sphagesaurus Notosuchus Malawisuchus Mariliasuchus Comahuesuchus Uruguaysuchus Anatosuchus Simosuchus Araripesuchus buitreraensis Araripesuchus wegeneri Araripesuchus gomesii Araripesuchus patagonicus Araripesuchus tsangatsangana Araripesuchus rattoides  Neosuchia   Sebecia  Uberabasuchus Hamadasuchus Sebecus Stolokrosuchus Peirosaurus Lomasuchus Mahajangasuchidae Pholidosauridae Stomatosuchidae Bernissartia Isisfordia Crocodylia

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Sereno, P. C.; and Larsson, H. C. E. (2009). "Cretaceous crocodyliforms from the Sahara". ZooKeys 28 (2009): 1–143. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Sereno, P. C.; Larsson, H. C. E.; Sidor, C. A.; and Gado, B. (2001). "The giant crocodyliform Sarcosuchus from the Cretaceous of Africa". Science 294 (5546): 1516–1519. doi:10.1126/science.1066521. PMID 11679634. 
3. ^ Larsson, H. C. E.; and Sues, H.-D. (2007). "Cranial osteology and phylogenetic relationships of Hamadasuchus rebouli (Crocodyliformes: Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Cretaceous of Morocco". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 149: 533–567. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00271.x. 
4. ^ Sereno, P. C.; Larsson, H. C. E.; Sidor, C. A.; and Gado, B. (2003). "A new notosuchian from the Early Cretaceous of Niger". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23 (2): 477–482. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2003)023[0477:ANNFTE]2.0.CO;2. 

External links

• Metasuchia in the Paleobiology Database
• Cladogram of Metasuchia in Mikko's Phylogeny Archive

Paleontology portal