Neosuchia
Encyclopedia
Neosuchia is an unranked clade
within Mesoeucrocodylia
that includes all modern extant crocodilia
ns and their closest fossil relatives. It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all crocodylomorphs
more closely related to Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile Crocodile
) than to Notosuchus terrestris. Neosuchia is very diverse and may be polyphyletic
, as the clade has undergone many revisions since it was first named in 1988. Neosuchians first appear in the Early Jurassic
with the earliest known goniopholid Calsoyasuchus
, which lived during the Sinemurian
and Pliensbachian
stages.
and premaxilla
is a basal characteristic of the Neosuchia, although it is lost in some more derived
forms, most notably alligatorids
.
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
within Mesoeucrocodylia
Mesoeucrocodylia
Mesoeucrocodylia is the name of the clade that includes Eusuchia and the paraphyletic group Mesosuchia. The group appeared during the Early Jurassic, and continues to the present day....
that includes all modern extant crocodilia
Crocodilia
Crocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period . They are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria...
ns and their closest fossil relatives. It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all crocodylomorphs
Crocodylomorpha
The Crocodylomorpha are an important group of archosaurs that include the crocodilians and their extinct relatives.During Mesozoic and early Tertiary times the Crocodylomorpha were far more diverse than they are now. Triassic forms were small, lightly built, active terrestrial animals. These were...
more closely related to Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile Crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
) than to Notosuchus terrestris. Neosuchia is very diverse and may be polyphyletic
Polyphyly
A polyphyletic group is one whose members' last common ancestor is not a member of the group.For example, the group consisting of warm-blooded animals is polyphyletic, because it contains both mammals and birds, but the most recent common ancestor of mammals and birds was cold-blooded...
, as the clade has undergone many revisions since it was first named in 1988. Neosuchians first appear in the Early Jurassic
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic epoch is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic period...
with the earliest known goniopholid Calsoyasuchus
Calsoyasuchus
Calsoyasuchus is a genus of goniopholidid mesoeucrocodylian that lived in the Early Jurassic. Its fossilzed remains were found in the Sinemurian-Pliensbachian-age Kayenta Formation on Navajo Nation land in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. Formally described as C...
, which lived during the Sinemurian
Sinemurian
In the geologic timescale, the Sinemurian is an age or stage in the Early or Lower Jurassic epoch or series. It spans the time between 196.5 ± 2 Ma and 189.6 ± 1.5 Ma...
and Pliensbachian
Pliensbachian
The Pliensbachian is an age of the geologic timescale or stage in the stratigraphic column. It is part of the Early or Lower Jurassic epoch or series and spans the time between 189.6 ± 1.5 Ma and 183 ± 1.5 Ma . The Pliensbachian is preceded by the Sinemurian and followed by the Toarcian.The...
stages.
Characteristics
A tooth notch between the maxillaMaxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
and premaxilla
Premaxilla
The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....
is a basal characteristic of the Neosuchia, although it is lost in some more derived
Derived
In phylogenetics, a derived trait is a trait that is present in an organism, but was absent in the last common ancestor of the group being considered. This may also refer to structures that are not present in an organism, but were present in its ancestors, i.e. traits that have undergone secondary...
forms, most notably alligatorids
Alligatoridae
Alligatoridae is a family of crocodylians that includes alligators and caimans.- True alligators :Alligators proper occur in the fluvial deposits of the age of the Upper Chalk in Europe, where they did not die out until the Pliocene age. The true alligators are now restricted to two species, A...
.
Classification
- MesoeucrocodyliaMesoeucrocodyliaMesoeucrocodylia is the name of the clade that includes Eusuchia and the paraphyletic group Mesosuchia. The group appeared during the Early Jurassic, and continues to the present day....
- NEOSUCHIA
- Genus ItasuchusItasuchusItasuchus is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil. Fossils of the type species I. jesuinoi, first described in 1955 by Llewellyn Ivor Price, have been found from the Marília Formation in Uberaba, Brazil....
- Family ElosuchidaeElosuchidaeElosuchidae is an extinct family of neosuchian crocodyliforms. It was named in 2002 to include the genera Elosuchus and Stolokrosuchus, both from the Early Cretaceous of Africa. E. cherifiensis, the type species of Elosuchus, was first classified in the genus Thoracosaurus as a close relative of...
- Genus ElosuchusElosuchusElosuchus is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodyliform that lived during the Early Cretaceous of what is now North Africa ....
- ? Genus StolokrosuchusStolokrosuchusStolokrosuchus is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodylomorph that lived during the Early Cretaceous. Its fossils, including a skull with a long thin snout and bony knobs on the prefontals, have been found in Niger. Stolokrosuchus was described in 2000 by Hans Larsson and Boubacar Gado. The...
- Genus Elosuchus
- Family AtoposauridaeAtoposauridaeAtoposauridae is a family of crocodile-like archosaurs. Members of the family have been found from France, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Germany, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Cameroon, and Thailand.-Phylogeny:...
- Genus AtoposaurusAtoposaurusAtoposaurus is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph. It is the type genus of the family Atoposauridae. Fossils have been found that were Late Jurassic in age from two distinct species in France and Germany....
- Genus KaratausuchusKaratausuchusKaratausuchus is an extinct genus of atoposaurid crocodylomorph. It is known from a single specimen discovered in the Late Jurassic Karabastau Svita from the vicinity of Mikhailovka in the Karatau Mountains of southern Kazakhstan...
- Genus PachycheilosuchusPachycheilosuchusPachycheilosuchus is an extinct genus of mesoeucrocodylian from the Early Cretaceous of Texas, United States...
- Genus AlligatorellusAlligatorellusAlligatorellus is a genus of atoposaurid crocodyliform found in France that was related to Atoposaurus.A skeleton of Alligatorellus has also been found in the Solnhofen Limestone of Kelheim, Germany. The limestone was deposited in a marine environment and the individual may have washed into a...
- Genus AlligatoriumAlligatoriumAlligatorium is an extinct genus of atoposaurid crocodylomorph. Alligatorium remains have been found in Germany and Mongolia. There are several species included within the genus. The type species is A. meyeri, named in 1871. Other species include A. franconicum, named in 1906, and A paintenense,...
- Genus MontsecosuchusMontsecosuchusMontsecosuchus is an extinct genus of atoposaurid crocodylomorph. It is the replacement generic name for Alligatorium depereti, which was described in 1915 from the Montsec Lithographic Limestone quarry of Spain. Fossils found from this locality are from the Early Cretaceous, being Upper...
- Genus TheriosuchusTheriosuchusTheriosuchus is an extinct genus of atoposaurid mesoeucrocodylian from the Late Jurassic of Europe, the Early Cretaceous of Asia and the Late Cretaceous of Romania. The five species are T. pusillus from England , T. ibericus from Spain , T. guimarotae from Portugal , T. sympiestodon from Romania...
- Genus Atoposaurus
- Genus EutretauranosuchusEutretauranosuchusEutretauranosuchus is a genus of goniopholidid mesoeucrocodylian. It is known from several specimens collected from the Late Jurassic-age Morrison Formation, including fossils from Garden Park and Dry Mesa Quarry in Colorado and Como Bluff in Wyoming. The type species is E. delfsi...
- Family DyrosauridaeDyrosauridaeDyrosauridae is a family of extinct neosuchian crocodyliforms that lived from the Late Cretaceous to the Eocene. Fossils of this group have been found in almost every continent, specifically Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America....
- Family PholidosauridaePholidosauridaePholidosauridae is an extinct family of mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs. Fossils have been found in the United States, Canada, China, Kyrgyzstan, Africa and Spain...
- Family GoniopholididaeGoniopholididaeGoniopholididae is an extinct family of moderate-sized semi-aquatic crocodyliforms similar to living crocodiles. They lived between the Early Jurassic and the Late Cretaceous.-Geographical distribution:...
- Family StomatosuchidaeStomatosuchidaeStomatosuchidae is an extinct family of neosuchian crocodylomorphs. It is currently defined as the most inclusive clade containing Stomatosuchus inermis but not Notosuchus terrestris, Simosuchus clarki, Araripesuchus gomesii, Baurusuchus pachecoi, Peirosaurus torminni, or Crocodylus niloticus...
- Genus LaganosuchusLaganosuchusLaganosuchus is an extinct genus of stomatosuchid crocodyliform. Fossils have been found from Niger and Morocco and date back to the Upper Cretaceous. The name means "pancake crocodile" from the Greek laganon and souchos in reference to the shallow depth of the skull, which is characteristic of...
- Genus Stomatosuchus
- Genus Laganosuchus
- Genus BernissartiaBernissartiaBernissartia is an extinct genus of crocodyliform that lived in the Early Cretaceous, around 130 million years ago.At only in length, Bernissartia is one of the smallest crocodyliforms that ever lived. It resembled modern species in many respects, and was probably semi-aquatic...
- Genus GilchristosuchusGilchristosuchusGilchristosuchus is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodyliform. Its fossils have been found in the upper Milk River Formation of Alberta, Canada, in rocks of either latest Santonian or earliest Campanian age . Gilchristosuchus was described in 1993 by Wu and Brinkman...
- Genus RugosuchusRugosuchusRugosuchus is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodyliform from the late Early Cretaceous of China. It is known from most of a skull, a partial postcranial skeleton, and a second partial skeleton including part of the hips. It was described by Wu and colleagues in 2001, with R...
- Genus SusisuchusSusisuchusSusisuchus is an extinct genus of mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliform from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. Fossils have been found from the Nova Olinda Member of the Aptian-age Crato Formation in the Araripe and Lima Campos Basins of northeastern Brazil...
- Family Paralligatoridae
- Suborder EusuchiaEusuchiaEusuchia is a clade of crocodylomorphs that first appears in the Early Cretaceous with Hylaeochampsa. All living crocodilian species are eusuchians, as are many extinct forms.-Description:...
- Genus Itasuchus
- NEOSUCHIA
External links
- Neosuchia in the Paleobiology DatabasePaleobiology Database' is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms.-History:The Paleobiology Database was founded in 2000. It has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council...