Neosuchia

Opisthokonta

Neosuchia Temporal range: Early Jurassic - Recent, 196.5–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Goniopholis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Crocodylomorpha
clade:	Metasuchia
Stem:	Neosuchia
Suborders & Families
See text

Neosuchia is an unranked clade within Mesoeucrocodylia that includes all modern extant crocodilians and their closest fossil relatives^[1]. It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all crocodylomorphs more closely related to Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile Crocodile) than to Notosuchus terrestris^[2]. Neosuchia is very diverse and may be polyphyletic, as the clade has undergone many revisions since it was first named in 1988^[3]. Neosuchians first appear in the Early Jurassic with the earliest known goniopholid Calsoyasuchus, which lived during the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian stages^[4].

Characteristics

A tooth notch between the maxilla and premaxilla is a basal characteristic of the Neosuchia, although it is lost in some more derived forms, most notably alligatorids.

Classification

• Mesoeucrocodylia
  • NEOSUCHIA
    • Genus Itasuchus
    • Family Elosuchidae
      • Genus Elosuchus
      • ? Genus Stolokrosuchus
    • Family Atoposauridae
      • Genus Atoposaurus
      • Genus Karatausuchus
      • Genus Pachycheilosuchus
      • Genus Alligatorellus
      • Genus Alligatorium
      • Genus Montsecosuchus
      • Genus Theriosuchus
    • Genus Eutretauranosuchus
    • Family Dyrosauridae
    • Family Pholidosauridae
    • Family Goniopholididae
    • Family Stomatosuchidae
      • Genus Laganosuchus
      • Genus Stomatosuchus
    • Genus Bernissartia
    • Genus Gilchristosuchus
    • Genus Rugosuchus
    • Genus Susisuchus
    • Family Paralligatoridae
    • Suborder Eusuchia

References

1. ^ Wilson, J. A.; Malkani, M. S.; Gingerich, P. D. (2001). "New crocodyliform (Reptilia, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Upper Cretaceous Pab Formation of Vitakri, Balochistan (Pakistan)" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 30 (12): 321–336. http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48662/2/ID529.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-02. 
2. ^ Larsson, H. C. E.; Sidor, C. A.; Gado, B. (2001). "The giant crocodyliform Sarcosuchus from the Cretaceous of Africa" (PDF). Science 294 (5546): 1516–1519. doi:10.1126/science.1066521. PMID 11679634. http://iris.nyit.edu/nycom/Faculty/Profiles/Sidor/Sarcosuchus.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-02. 
3. ^ Benton, M. J. & Clark, J. M. (1998). Archosaur phylogeny and the relationships of the Crocodylia, p. 289-332. In Benton, M.J. (ed.), The Phylogeny and Classification of Tetrapods, Vol. 1 ., Clarendon Press, Oxford.
4. ^ Tykoski, R. S.; Rowe, T. B.; Ketcham, R. A.; Colbert, M. W. (2002). "Calsoyasuchus valliceps, a new crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22 (3): 593–611. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0593:CVANCF]2.0.CO;2. http://digimorph.org/specimens/Calsoyasuchusvalliceps/calsoyas.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-02. 

External links

• Neosuchia in the Paleobiology Database