Neosuchia

Neosuchia Temporal range: Early Jurassic - Recent, 196.5–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Goniopholis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Crocodylomorpha
Clade:	Metasuchia
Clade:	Neosuchia
Suborders & Families
See text

Neosuchia is a clade within Mesoeucrocodylia that includes all modern extant crocodilians and their closest fossil relatives.^[1] It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all crocodylomorphs more closely related to Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile Crocodile) than to Notosuchus terrestris.^[2] Neosuchia is very diverse and may be polyphyletic, as the clade has undergone many revisions since it was first named in 1988.^[3] Neosuchians first appear in the Early Jurassic with the earliest known goniopholid Calsoyasuchus, which lived during the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian stages.^[4]

Characteristics

A tooth notch between the maxilla and premaxilla is a basal characteristic of the Neosuchia, although it is lost in some more derived forms, most notably alligatorids.

Classification

• Stem Neosuchia
  • Genus Khoratosuchus
  • Genus Stolokrosuchus
  • Family Atoposauridae
  • Family Goniopholididae
  • Suborder Thalattosuchia
    • Genus Pelagosaurus
    • Family Teleosauridae
    • Superfamily Metriorhynchoidea
  • Suborder Tethysuchia
    • ? Family Elosuchidae
    • Family Dyrosauridae
    • Family Pholidosauridae
  • Family Stomatosuchidae
  • Genus Bernissartia
  • Genus Gilchristosuchus
  • Genus Rugosuchus
  • Genus Susisuchus
  • Family Paralligatoridae
  • Suborder Eusuchia

Below is a cladogram showing the phylogenetic relationships of neosuchians from Buscalioni et al., 2011:^[5]

Neosuchia

Theriosuchus Goniopholis Bernissartia fagesii Susisuchus anatoceps Las Hoyas neosuchian Eusuchia Isisfordia duncani Hylaeochampsidae Hylaeochampsa vectiana Iharkutosuchus Pietraroiasuchus ormezzanoi Pachycheilosuchus trinquei Allodaposuchus sp. Allodaposuchus precedens Crocodylia Borealosuchus sternbergii Borealosuchus formidabilis Borealosuchus wilsoni Borealosuchus acutidentatus Gavialoidea Eothoracosaurus mississippiensis Thoracosaurus macrorhynchus Thecachampsoides minor Eogavialis africanum Gavialis gangeticus Siquisiquesuchus venezuelensis Gryposuchus colombianus Brevirostres Pristichampsus Alligatoroidea Leidyosuchus canadensis Diplocynodon darwinii Baryphracta deponiae Brachychampsa montana Stangerochampsa mccabei Alligator mississippiensis Paleosuchus trigonatus Caiman yacare Caiman latirostris Melanosuchus niger Navajosuchus mooki Hassiacosuchus haupti Crocodyloidea Asiatosuchus germanicus Prodiplocynodon langi Crocodylus affinis Brachyuranochampsa eversolei Crocodylus acer Australosuchus clarkae Crocodylus megarhinus Crocodylus cataphractus Crocodylus porosus Osteolaemus tetraspis Crocodylus robustus Crocodylus spenceri Gavialosuchus americanus Tomistoma schlegelii Tomistoma lusitanica

In 2012, paleontologists Mario Bronzati, Felipe Chinaglia Montefeltro, and Max C. Langer conducted a broad phylogenetic analysis to produce supertrees of Crocodyliformes, including 184 species. The most parsimonious trees were highly resolved, meaning the phylogenetic relationships found in the analysis were highly likely. Below is a consensus tree from the study:^[6]

Neosuchia

Khoratosuchus jintasakuli Stolokrosuchus lapparenti Pachycheilosuchus trinquei Montsecosuchus depereti Atoposaurus Alligatorellus beaumonti Alligatorium Theriosuchus sympiestodon Theriosuchus pusillus Theriosuchus grandinaris Goniopholididae Eutretauranosuchus delfsi Calsoyasuchus valliceps Sunosuchus miaoi Sunosuchus junggarensis Vectisuchus leptognathus Siamosuchus phuphokensis Goniopholis stovalli Goniopholis simus Goniopholis lucasii Goniopholis crassidens Goniopholis baryglyphaeus Laganosuchus thaumastos Bernissartia fagesii Leidyosuchus canadensis Las Hoyas Neosuchia Glen Rose Form Shamosuchus djadochtaensis Rugosuchus nonganensis Susisuchus jaguaribensis Susisuchus anatoceps Eusuchia Isisfordia duncani Allodaposuchus precedens Iharkutosuchus makadii Hylaeochampsa vectiana Crocodylia Pristichampsus vorax Borealosuchus wilsoni Borealosuchus sternbergii Borealosuchus formidabilis Borealosuchus acutidentatus Elosuchus Pholidosaurus purbeckensis Pholidosaurus decipiens Terminonaris robusta Sarcosuchus imperator Sarcosuchus hartti Dyrosauridae Oceanosuchus boecensis Sokotosuchus ianwilsoni Chenanisuchus lateroculi Phosphatosaurus gavialoides Cerrejonisuchus improcerus Dyrosaurus phosphaticus Dyrosaurus maghribensis Arambourgisuchus khouribgaensis Hyposaurus rogersii Congosaurus bequaerti Guarinisuchus munizi Rhabdognathus sp. Atlantosuchus coupatezi Rhabdognathus keiniensis Rhabdognathus aslerensis Thalattosuchia Pelagosaurus typus Metriorhynchoidea "Mystriosaurus" Platysuchus multiscrobiculatus Steneosaurus larteti Steneosaurus edwardsi Steneosaurus durobrivensis Steneosaurus boutilieri Steneosaurus bollensis Machimosaurus hugii Steneosaurus priscus Steneosaurus baroni Steneosaurus leedsi Steneosaurus heberti Steneosaurus gracilirostris Steneosaurus brevior Steneosaurus pictaviensis Peipehsuchus teleorhinus Teleorhinus calvadosii Steneosaurus megarhinus

See also

• Koumpiodontosuchus aprosdokiti

References

1. Wilson, J. A.; Malkani, M. S.; Gingerich, P. D. (2001). "New crocodyliform (Reptilia, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Upper Cretaceous Pab Formation of Vitakri, Balochistan (Pakistan)" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan. 30 (12): 321–336. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
2. Larsson, H. C. E.; Sidor, C. A.; Gado, B.; Gado, B (2001). "The giant crocodyliform Sarcosuchus from the Cretaceous of Africa" (PDF). Science. 294 (5546): 1516–1519. doi:10.1126/science.1066521. PMID 11679634. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
3. Benton, M. J. & Clark, J. M. (1998). Archosaur phylogeny and the relationships of the Crocodylia, p. 289-332. In Benton, M.J. (ed.), The Phylogeny and Classification of Tetrapods, Vol. 1 ., Clarendon Press, Oxford.
4. Tykoski, R. S.; Rowe, T. B.; Ketcham, R. A.; Colbert, M. W. (2002). "Calsoyasuchus valliceps, a new crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (3): 593–611. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0593:CVANCF]2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
5. Buscalioni, A.D.; Piras, P.; Vullo, R.; Signore, M.; Barbera, C. (2011). "Early eusuchia crocodylomorpha from the vertebrate-rich Plattenkalk of Pietraroia (Lower Albian, southern Apennines, Italy)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163: S199–S227. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00718.x.
6. Bronzati, M.; Montefeltro, F. C.; Langer, M. C. (2012). "A species-level supertree of Crocodyliformes". Historical Biology: 1. doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.662680.

External links

• Neosuchia in the Paleobiology Database