Neosuchia

Neosuchia Fossil range: Early Jurassic - Recent, 196.5-0 Ma
Goniopholis
Scientific classification
Class	Sauropsida
Subclass	Diapsida
Infraclass	Archosauromorpha
Superorder	Crocodylomorpha
Family (Unranked)	Neosuchia
Suborders & Families	See text.

Neosuchia is an unranked clade within Mesoeucrocodylia that includes all modern extant crocodilians in the crown group Eusuchia 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[]

Mesoeucrocodylia
- NEOSUCHIA
  - Family Elosuchidae
    - Genus Stolokrosuchus
    - Genus Elosuchus
  - Family Peirosauridae
    - Genus Peirosaurus
    - Genus Lomasuchus
    - Genus Uberabasuchus
    - Genus Moltealtosuchus
  - Genus Comahuesuchus
  - Genus Itasuchus
  - Family Atoposauridae
    - Genus Atoposaurus
    - Genus Karatausuchus
    - Genus Pachycheilosuchus
    - Genus Alligatorellus
    - Genus Alligatorium
    - Genus Montsecosuchus
    - Genus Theriosuchus
  - Genus Eutretauranosuchus
  - Family Dyrosauridae
  - Family Pholidosauridae
  - Suborder Thalattosuchia
    - Genus Pelagosuchus
    - Family Teleosauridae
    - Family Metriorhynchidae
  - Family Goniopholididae
  - Genus Bernissartia
  - Genus Gilchristosuchus
  - Genus Rugosuchus
  - Genus Susisuchus
  - Family Paralligatoridae
  - Suborder Eusuchia

References[]

^ Wilson, J.A., Malkani, M.S., and Gingerich, P.D., (2001). New crocodyliform (Reptilia, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Upper Cretaceous Pab Formation of Vitakri, Balochistan (Pakistan). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, v. 30, p. 321–336.
^ H. C. E. Larsson, C. A. Sidor, and B. Gado. 2001. The giant crocodyliform Sarcosuchus from the Cretaceous of Africa. Science 294:1516–1519.
^ 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.
^ Tykoski RS, Rowe TB, Ketcham RA, Colbert MW. (2002). Calsoyasuchus valliceps, a new crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22(3): 593-611.

External links[]

Neosuchia in the Paleobiology Database

Major groups within Mesoeucrocodylia

Thalattosuchia — Metriorhynchidae • Teleosauridae

Notosuchia — Baurusuchidae • Chimaerasuchidae • Notosuchidae • Sphagesauridae • Libycosuchus • Araripesuchus

Sebecia — Peirosauridae • Sebecidae • Mahajangasuchus

Neosuchia — Atoposauridae • Dyrosauridae • Goniopholididae • Paralligatoridae • Pholidosauridae

Related articles — Mesosuchia • Crocodilia

Related categories — Marine crocodiles • Terrestrial crocodiles • Jurassic crocodylomorphs • Cretaceous crocodylomorphs • Paleogene crocodylomorphs

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[1] Wilson, J.A., Malkani, M.S., and Gingerich, P.D., (2001). New crocodyliform (Reptilia, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Upper Cretaceous Pab Formation of Vitakri, Balochistan (Pakistan). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, v. 30, p. 321–336.

[2] H. C. E. Larsson, C. A. Sidor, and B. Gado. 2001. The giant crocodyliform Sarcosuchus from the Cretaceous of Africa. Science 294:1516–1519.

[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 RS, Rowe TB, Ketcham RA, Colbert MW. (2002). Calsoyasuchus valliceps, a new crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22(3): 593-611.

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