Enaliosuchus

Taxobox
name = "Enaliosuchus"
fossil_range = Fossil range|140|136Valanginian

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image_width=250px
image_caption= restoration of "Enaliosuchus macrospondylus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
subclassis = Diapsida
infraclassis = Archosauromorpha
unranked_ordo = Mesoeucrocodylia
subordo = Thalattosuchia
familia = Metriorhynchidae
genus = "Enaliosuchus"
genus_authority = Koken, 1883 Koken E. 1883. Die reptilian der norddeutschen unteren Kreide. "Zeitschrift deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft" 35: 735-827.]
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
* "E. macrospondylus" Koken, 1883 (type)
* "E. schroederi" Kuhn, 1936

"Enaliosuchus" is an extinct genus of marine crocodylian within the family Metriorhynchidae that lived during the Valanginian stage of the Early Cretaceous. "Enaliosuchus" was a carnivore that spent much, if not all, its life out at sea. No "Enaliosuchus" eggs or nest have been discovered, so little is known of the reptile's lifecycle, unlike other large marine reptiles of the Mesozoic, such as plesiosaurs or ichthyosaurs which are known to give birth to live young out at sea. Where "Enaliosuchus" mated, whether on land or at sea, is currently unknown. The name "Enaliosuchus" means "Marine crocodile", and is derived from the Greek "Enalios"- ("marine") and -"suchos" ("crocodile").

Species

The species within "Enaliosuchus" include :
* "E. macrospondylus": type species from France and Germany of the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian).
* "E. schroederi": from Germany of the Early Cretaceous Valanginian (possibly a junior synonym of "E. macrospondylus" Hua, S., Vignaud, P., Atrops, F. & Clément, A. (2000). "Enaliosuchus macrospondylus" Koken, 1883 (Crocodylia, Metriorhynchidae) du Valanginien de Barret-le-Bas (Hautes Alpes, France): un cas unique de remontée des narines externes parmi les crocodiliens. "Geobios" 33: 467-474.] ).

Recent phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of "Enaliosuchus".Young MT. 2007. The evolution and interrelationships of Metriorhynchidae (Crocodyliformes, Thalattosuchia). "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology" 27 (3): 170A.]

References