Poposauridae

Taxobox
name = Poposaurids
fossil_range = Middle Triassic - Late Triassic

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image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Poposaurus gracilis"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
subclassis = Diapsida
infraclassis = Archosauromorpha
unranked_ordo = Crurotarsi
ordo = Rauisuchia
subordo = Poposauria
familia = Poposauridae
familia_authority = Nopcsa, 1923
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Effigia" "Poposaurus" "Sillosuchus" "Shuvosaurus" The Poposauridae are a family of large (around 2.5 to 5 meters long) carnivorous archosaurs which lived alongside dinosaurs during the Late Triassic. They are known from fossil remains from North America and Europe, and constituted the apex predators in a number of environments Fact|date=January 2008. Originally believed to be theropod dinosaurs (they mirrored the theropods in a number of respects, such as features of the skull), cladistic analysis has shown them to be of closer relation to crocodiles.

J. Michael Parrish's cladistic analysis of crocodylotarsan archosaurs (1993), includes "Poposaurus", "Postosuchus", "Teratosaurus", and "Bromsgroveia", in the Poposauridae. However according to Long and Murry 1995, and Galton and Walker 1996, "Teratosaurus" is not a poposaurid as previously thought, but a rauisuchid. All recent phylogenies place "Postosuchus" either as a rauisuchid (Weinbaum and Hungerbühler 2007) or placed with a taxon currently within Prestosuchidae (Gower 2002; Nesbitt and Norell 2006; ).

The group is still poorly known, although it is thought that recent description and discoveries of genera such as "Sillosuchus" and "Shuvosaurus" will improve our understanding of these animals and their phylogenetic relationships within the Crurotarsi.

Classification

* Family Poposauridae
** "Poposaurus"
** "'Subfamily Chatterjeeinae
*** "Effigia"
*** "Sillosuchus"
*** "Shuvosaurus"

References

* Galton, P. M., 1985, The poposaurid thecodontian "Teratosaurus suevicus" von Meyer, plus referred specimens mostly based on prosauropod dinosaurs. "Stuttgarter Beitrage zur Naturkunde", B, v. 116, p. 1-29.
* ----- and Alick D. Walker, 1996. "Bromsgroveia" from the Middle Triassic of England, the earliest record of a poposaurid thecodontian reptile (Archosauria: Rauisuchia). "N. Jb. Geol. Palaont. Abh", 201, Number 3 : 303-325.
* Long, R. A., and Murry, P A., 1995, Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) Tetrapods from the Southwestern United States: "New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science", A Division of the Office of Cultural Affairs, Bulletin 4, p. 1-254.
* Lucas, SG (1998), Global Triassic tetrapod biostratigraphy and biochronology. "Palaeogeog. Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol." 143: 347-384.
* Nesbitt, S. (2007). "The anatomy of "Effigia okeeffeae" (Archosauria, Suchia), theropod-like convergance, and the distribution of related taxa." "Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History", 302: 84 pp.
* Parrish, JM (1993), Phylogeny of the Crocodylotarsi, with reference to archosaurian and crurotarsan monophyly. "J. Vert. Paleontol." 13: 287-308.
* Sereno, P. C. 2005. [http://www.taxonsearch.org/Archive/stem-archosauria-1.0.php Stem Archosauria—TaxonSearch] [version 1.0, 2005 November 7]

External links

* [http://www.palaeos.com/Vertebrates/Units/270Archosauromorpha/270.700.html#Poposauridae Palaeos]
* [http://www.taxonsearch.org/dev/taxon_edit.php?tax_id=456&Action=View Taxon Search]
* [http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/haaramo/Metazoa/Deuterostoma/Chordata/Archosauria/Pseudosuchia/Poposauridae.htm Mikko's Phylogeny Archive]
* [http://dml.cmnh.org/1997Jan/msg00127.html Re: Postosuchus/Rauisuchus] - Dinosaur Mailing List archives