Rauisuchidae

Rauisuchidae Fossil range: Middle - Late Triassic
Postosuchus kirkpatricki
Scientific classification
Class	Sauropsida
Subclass	Diapsida
Infraclass	Archosauromorpha
(Unranked)	Crurotarsi
Order	Rauisuchia
Family	Rauisuchidae von Huene, 1936
Genera	See text.

Rauisuchidae are a group of large (up to 6 meters or more) predatory Triassic archosaurs, and constitute advanced representatives of the larger group Rauisuchia. There is some disagreement over which genera should be included in the Prestosuchidae, which in Rauisuchidae, and which in the Poposauridae, and indeed whether these should even be thought of as separate families.

An early cladistic analysis of crocodylotarsan archosaurs included Lotosaurus, Fasolasuchus, Rauisuchus, and "the Kupferzell rauisuchid" (later called Batrachotomus) within Rauisuchidae.^[1] However, a later study found that Batrachotomus was more closely related to Prestosuchus, and thus was a prestosuchid.^[2] In addition, the toothless Lotosaurus has been found to be more closely related to the Ctenosauriscidae, a clade of Dimetrodon-like animals with a sail on their back.^[3]

Two genera previously classified as poposaurids, are in fact rauisuchids. These include Teratosaurus^[4]^[5] and Postosuchus. ^[6]

List[]

Genus	Status	Age	Location	Description
†Arganasuchus	Valid.	Late Triassic.	Africa.	Named for the Moroccan fossil site where it was discovered, the Argana Basin.
†Batrachotomus	Valid.
†Fasolasuchus	Valid.
†Fenhosuchus	Valid.
†Heptasuchus	Valid.
†"Hoplitosaurus"	Valid.			— preoccupied by the ankylosaurian dinosaur Hoplitosaurus
†Jushatyria	Valid.
†Luperosuchus	Valid.	Middle Triassic.
†Postosuchus	Valid.	Late Triassic.	North America.
†Procerosuchus	Valid.
†Rauisuchus	Valid.
†Stagonosuchus	Valid.
†Teratosaurus	Valid.	Late Triassic.	Europe.
†Tikisuchus	Valid.	Late Triassic.	India.
†Vjushkovisaurus	Valid.

References[]

^ Parrish JM. 1993. Phylogeny of the Crocodylotarsi, with reference to archosaurian and crurotarsan monophyly. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 13: 287-308.
^ Gower DJ. 2002. Braincase evolution in suchian archosaurs: evidence from the rauisuchian Batrachotomus. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 136: 49-76.
^ Nesbitt SJ. 2005. Osteology of the Middle Triassic pseudosuchian archosaur Arizonasaurus babbitti. Historical Biology 17: 19-47.
^ Long RA, Murry PA. 1995. Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) tetrapods from the Southwestern United States. New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin 4: 1-254.
^ Galton PM, Walker AD. 1996. Bromsgroveia from the Middle Triassic of England, the earliest record of a poposaurid thecodontian reptile (Archosauria: Rauisuchia). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 201 (3): 303-325.
^ Weinbaum JC, Hungerbühler A. 2007. A revision of Poposaurus gracilis (Archosauria: Suchia) based on two new specimens from the Late Triassic of the southwestern U.S.A. Palaeontologische Zeitschrift 81(2):131-145.

External links[]

Taxon Search - Rauisuchidae
Rauisuchidae - Mikko's Phylogeny Archive.
Re: Postosuchus/Rauisuchus - Dinosaur Mailing List archives
Rauisuchidae - Dinosaur Mailing List archives

v - e - d Crurotarsi Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Sauropsida · Infraclass: Archosauromorpha
Major clades Families
Phytosauridae · Stagonolepididae · Ornithosuchidae · Ctenosauriscidae · Poposauridae · Prestosuchidae · Rauisuchidae Related articles Crocodylomorpha · Crocodilia · Rauisuchia
Plant-eating genera
Stagonolepididae — Acaenasuchus · Aetosauroides · Aetosaurus · Argentinosuchus · Calyptosuchus · Desmatosuchus · Longosuchus · Stagonolepis · Stegomus · Typothorax Others — Revueltosaurus
Bipeds or facultatively bipedal genera
Ornithosuchidae — Ornithosuchus · Riojasuchus · Venaticosuchus Poposauridae — Effigia · Poposaurus · Sillosuchus · Shuvosaurus Others — Gracilisuchus
Semi-aquatic or aquatic genera
Phytosauridae — Angistorhinus · Belodon · Mystriosuchus · Nicrosaurus · Paleorhinus · Redondasaurus · Rutiodon Others — Qianosuchus
Bipeds or facultatively bipedal genera
Ornithosuchidae — Ornithosuchus · Riojasuchus · Venaticosuchus Poposauridae — Effigia · Poposaurus · Sillosuchus · Shuvosaurus Others — Gracilisuchus
Quadrupedal terrestrial carnivores
Ctenosauriscidae — Arizonasaurus · Bromsgroveia · Ctenosauriscus · Lotosaurus Prestosuchidae — Batrachotomus · Karamuru · Prestosuchus · Ticinosuchus · Saurosuchus · Yarasuchus Rauisuchidae — Teratosaurus · Postosuchus Others — Erpetosuchus · Doswellia

[Parrish,_1993-1] Parrish JM. 1993. Phylogeny of the Crocodylotarsi, with reference to archosaurian and crurotarsan monophyly. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 13: 287-308.

[Gower,_2002-2] Gower DJ. 2002. Braincase evolution in suchian archosaurs: evidence from the rauisuchian Batrachotomus. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 136: 49-76.

[Nesbitt,_2005-3] Nesbitt SJ. 2005. Osteology of the Middle Triassic pseudosuchian archosaur Arizonasaurus babbitti. Historical Biology 17: 19-47.

[Long_&_Murry,_1995-4] Long RA, Murry PA. 1995. Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) tetrapods from the Southwestern United States. New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin 4: 1-254.

[Galton_&_Walker,_1996-5] Galton PM, Walker AD. 1996. Bromsgroveia from the Middle Triassic of England, the earliest record of a poposaurid thecodontian reptile (Archosauria: Rauisuchia). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 201 (3): 303-325.

[Weinbaum_&Hungerbühler,_2007-6] Weinbaum JC, Hungerbühler A. 2007. A revision of Poposaurus gracilis (Archosauria: Suchia) based on two new specimens from the Late Triassic of the southwestern U.S.A. Palaeontologische Zeitschrift 81(2):131-145.

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