Crocodyloidea

Crocodyloidea Temporal range: Late Cretaceous - Recent, 83.5–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Crocodylus niloticus (Nile crocodile)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Crocodylomorpha
Order:	Crocodilia
Clade:	Brevirostres
Superfamily:	Crocodyloidea Fitzinger, 1826
Subgroups
See text.

The Crocodyloidea superfamily of crocodilians evolved in the Late Cretaceous period. Cladistically, it is defined as Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile crocodile) and all crocodylians more closely related to C. niloticus than to either Alligator mississippiensis (the American alligator) or Gavialis gangeticus (the gharial).^[1]

Phylogeny

Cladogram after Brochu C. A., Njau J., Blumenschine R. J., Densmore L. D. (2010).^[2]

Borealosuchus Pristichampsus  Brevirostres  Leidyosuchus canadensis  Crocodyloidea  Prodiplocynodon langi Asiatosuchus grangeri "Crocodylus" affinis "Crocodylus" depressifrons Brachyuranochampsa "Crocodylus" acer  Crocodylidae   Tomistominae  Dollosuchoides Gavialosuchus Kentisuchus Tomistoma  Crocodylinae  "Crocodylus" megarhinus  Mekosuchinae  Kambara Australosuchus Trilophosuchus  Osteolaeminae  Rimasuchus "Crocodylus" pigotti Euthecodon Voay Osteolaemus osborni O. tetraspis Mecistops Crocodylus anthropophagus C. palaeindicus C. palustris C. siamensis C. porosus C. johnsoni C. novaeguineae C. mindorensis C. niloticus C. acutus C. intermedius C. rhombifer C. moreletii Rhamphosuchus

References

1. Brochu, Christopher A. (May 2003). "Phylogenetic approaches toward crocodylian history". Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 31: 360. doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.31.100901.141308.
2. Brochu, C. A.; Njau, J.; Blumenschine, R. J.; Densmore, L. D. (2010). "A New Horned Crocodile from the Plio-Pleistocene Hominid Sites at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania". PLoS ONE. 5 (2): e9333. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009333. PMC 2827537. PMID 20195356.