- Mesosuchia
-
Mesouschia
Temporal range: 199–35 Ma Hettangian - EoceneScientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsid Superorder: Crocodylomorpha Suborder: Mesosuchia * Infraorders & Families see text.
"Mesosuchia" is an obsolete name for a group of terrestrial, semi-aquatic, or fully aquatic crocodylomorph reptiles. The marine crocodile Metriorhynchus had paddle-like forelimbs, Dakosaurus andiniensis had a skull that was adapted to eat large sea reptiles, and Shamosuchus was adapted for eating molluscs and gastropods. Shamosuchus also looked like modern crocodiles and was very closely related to their direct ancestor.
The "Mesosuchia" were formerly placed at Suborder rank as within Crocodylia. The "first" crocodiles were placed within their own suborder, Protosuchia; whilst extant species where placed within Suborder Eusuchia (meaing 'true crocodiles'). Mesosuchia were the crocodylians "in between". As it is a paraphyletic group however, it is not considered valid anymore. It is replaced by its phylogenetic equivalent Mesoeucrocodylia, which contains the taxa herein, the Crocodylia, and some allied forms more recently discovered.
The "Mesosuchia" was composed as:
- Family Hsisosuchidae
- Family Gobiosuchidae
- Infraorder Notosuchia
- Family Notosuchidae
- Family Sebecidae
- Family Baurusuchidae
- Infraorder Neosuchia
- Family Trematochampsidae
- Family Peirosauridae
- Genus Lomasuchus
- Genus Montealtosuchus
- Family Elosuchidae
- Family Atoposauridae
- Family Dyrosauridae
- Family Pholidosauridae
- Genus Sarcosuchus
- Infraorder Thalattosuchia - Sea "Crocodiles"
- Family Teleosauridae
- Family Metriorhynchidae
- Genus Dakosaurus
- Family Goniopholididae
- Family Paralligatoridae
- Genus Shamosuchus
- Infraorder Notosuchia
External links
- Unterordnung Mesosuchia
- A teleosaurid (Crocodylia, Mesosuchia) from the Toarcian of Madagascar and its palaeobiogeographical significance
- Blue Nile Gorge
- In German
- Shantungosuchus
- Crocodyliformes
- Crocodile Evolution
Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Sauropsida · Superorder: Crocodylomorpha Thalattosuchia Notosuchia Sebecia Peirosauridae · SebecidaeNeosuchia Atoposauridae · Dyrosauridae · Goniopholididae · Mahajangasuchidae · Paralligatoridae · PholidosauridaeRelated articles Mesosuchia · CrocodiliaRelated categories Marine crocodiles · Terrestrial crocodiles · Jurassic crocodylomorphs · Cretaceous crocodylomorphs · Paleogene crocodylomorphs · Neogene crocodylomorphs
This article about a prehistoric archosaur is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
