Rauisuchidae

Taxobox
name = Rauisuchidae
fossil_range = Ladinian/Carnian to Norian
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
subclassis = Diapsida
infraclassis = Archosauromorpha
unranked_ordo = Crurotarsi
ordo = Rauisuchia
familia = Rauisuchidae
familia_authority = von Huene, 1936
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Rauisuchus" "Fasolasuchus" "Heptasuchus" "Tikisaurus" ?"Teratosaurus" ?"Postosuchus"

Rauisuchidae are a group of large (up to 6 meters or more) predatory Triassic archosaurs, and constitute advanced representatives of the larger group Rauisuchia. There is some disagreement over which genera should be included in the Prestosuchidae, which in Rauisuchidae, and which in the Poposauridae, and indeed whether these should even be thought of as separate families.

J. Michael Parrish's (1993) cladistic analysis of crocodylotarsan archosaurs includes "Lotosaurus", "Fasolasuchus", "Rauisuchus", and "the Kupferzell rauisuchid" (later called "Batrachotomus") in the Rauisuchidae.

However according to David Gower (2002), who described "Batrachotomus", that animal actually is closer to "Prestosuchus" (Prestosuchidae). That leaves only "Rauisuchus" from the Late Ladinian or Early Carnian of Brasil, "Fasolasuchus", a giant late Norian form from Argentina, and "Lotosaurus", a bizarre toothless form with a "Dimetrodon" like sail on its back.

Apart from the Chinese "Lotosaurus", this indicates a South-West Gondwana distribution of the group. However according to Long and Murry 1995, and Galton and Walker 1996, "Teratosaurus" is not a popsaurid as previously thought, but a rauisuchid.

Other genera like "Heptasuchus" and "Tikisaurus" have also been placed here. It has also been stated (need reference) that "Postosuchus", conventionally classifified as a poposaurid, is actually a rauisuchid.

References

* Galton, Peter M., 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.
* 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.taxonsearch.org/dev/taxon_edit.php?Action=View&tax_id=463 Taxon Search - Rauisuchidae]
* [http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/haaramo/Metazoa/deuterostoma/Chordata/Archosauria/Pseudosuchia/Rauisuchidae.htm Rauisuchidae] - Mikko's Phylogeny Archive.
* [http://dml.cmnh.org/1997Jan/msg00127.html Re: Postosuchus/Rauisuchus] - Dinosaur Mailing List archives
* [http://dml.cmnh.org/1997Jan/msg00249.html Rauisuchidae] - Dinosaur Mailing List archives