Peirosauridae
Encyclopedia
Peirosauridae is a Gondwana
n family of mesoeucrocodylia
ns that lived during the Cretaceous
period. It was a clade
of terrestrial crocodyliforms that evolved a rather dog-like form, and were terrestrial carnivores. It was phylogenetically defined in 2004 as the most recent common ancestor
of Peirosaurus
and Lomasuchinae and all of its descendants. Lomasuchinae is a subfamily of peirosaurids that includes the genus Lomasuchus
.
Lomasuchinae was defined in the same 2004 study as the most recent common ancestor of Lomasuchus and Mahajangasuchini and all of its descendants. Mahajangasuchini, also constructed in the study, was defined as the most recent common ancestor of Mahajangasuchus
and Uberabasuchus
and all of its descendants. However, a more recent 2009 phylogenetic analysis placed Mahajangasuchus within its own family, Mahajangasuchidae
, along with the newly named Kaprosuchus
.
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
n family of 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....
ns that lived during the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
period. It was a clade
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...
of terrestrial crocodyliforms that evolved a rather dog-like form, and were terrestrial carnivores. It was phylogenetically defined in 2004 as the most recent common ancestor
Most recent common ancestor
In genetics, the most recent common ancestor of any set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all organisms in the group are directly descended...
of Peirosaurus
Peirosaurus
Peirosaurus is an extinct genus of peirosaurid crocodylomorph. It is the type genus of the family Peirosauridae. Fossils of the type species P. tormini, first described in 1955, have been found from the Marília Formation in Uberaba, Brazil and date back to the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late...
and Lomasuchinae and all of its descendants. Lomasuchinae is a subfamily of peirosaurids that includes the genus Lomasuchus
Lomasuchus
Lomasuchus is an extinct genus of peirosaurid mesoeucrocodylian. Fossils have been found from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation of the Neuquén Group outcropping in Neuquén Province, Argentina...
.
Lomasuchinae was defined in the same 2004 study as the most recent common ancestor of Lomasuchus and Mahajangasuchini and all of its descendants. Mahajangasuchini, also constructed in the study, was defined as the most recent common ancestor of Mahajangasuchus
Mahajangasuchus
Mahajangasuchus is an extinct genus of crocodyliform which had blunt, conical teeth. The type species, M. insignis, lived during the Late Cretaceous; its fossils have been found in the Maevarano Formation in northern Madagascar.Sereno et al....
and Uberabasuchus
Uberabasuchus
Uberabasuchus is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil.-Sources:* - original description of genus...
and all of its descendants. However, a more recent 2009 phylogenetic analysis placed Mahajangasuchus within its own family, Mahajangasuchidae
Mahajangasuchidae
Mahajangasuchidae is an extinct family of neosuchian crocodyliforms. It currently contains two genera, Mahajangasuchus and Kaprosuchus, both of which lived during the Late Cretaceous in Gondwana...
, along with the newly named Kaprosuchus
Kaprosuchus
Kaprosuchus is an extinct genus of mahajangasuchid crocodyliform. It is known from a single nearly complete skull collected from the Upper Cretaceous Echkar Formation of Niger. The name means "boar crocodile" from the Greek kapros and souchos in reference to its unusually large caniniform teeth...
.
Genera
- BarcinosuchusBarcinosuchusBarcinosuchus is an extinct genus of carnivorous metasuchian from the early Cretaceous period. It is a peirosaurid which lived during the early Cretaceous period in what is now Chubut Province, Argentina. It is known from the holotype MPEF-PV 3095, which consists of skull, mandible, and...
: genus from the AptianAptianThe Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...
- AlbianAlbianThe Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
of ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. - PeirosaurusPeirosaurusPeirosaurus is an extinct genus of peirosaurid crocodylomorph. It is the type genus of the family Peirosauridae. Fossils of the type species P. tormini, first described in 1955, have been found from the Marília Formation in Uberaba, Brazil and date back to the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late...
: genus from the late MaastrichtianMaastrichtianThe Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...
of BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. - PepesuchusPepesuchusPepesuchus is an extinct genus of carnivorous metasuchian from the late Cretaceous period. It is a peirosaurid which lived during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous in what is now state of São Paulo, Brazil.-Etymology:...
: genus from the CampanianCampanianThe Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
- Maastrichtian of Brazil. - LomasuchusLomasuchusLomasuchus is an extinct genus of peirosaurid mesoeucrocodylian. Fossils have been found from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation of the Neuquén Group outcropping in Neuquén Province, Argentina...
: genus from either ConiacianConiacianThe Coniacian is an age or stage in the geologic timescale. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series and spans the time between 89.3 ± 1 Ma and 85.8 ± 0.7 Ma...
- SantonianSantonianThe Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series. It spans the time between 85.8 ± 0.7 mya and 83.5 ± 0.7 mya...
or Campanian - Maastrichtian of Argentina. - UberabasuchusUberabasuchusUberabasuchus is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil.-Sources:* - original description of genus...
: genus from the late Maastrichtian of Brazil. - MontealtosuchusMontealtosuchusMontealtosuchus was an extinct genus of terrestrial crocodyliform. It was discovered in 2004 in the Bauru Basin of Brazil, from Turonian-Santonian deposits of the Adamantina Formation. The species was described in 2007, and assigned to the family Peirosauridae. The type species is M. arrudacamposi...
: genus from the TuronianTuronianThe Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous series. It spans the time between 93.5 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.3 ± 1 Ma...
- Santonian of Brazil.