| Hylaeochampsa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauria |
| Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
| Clade: | Crocodylomorpha |
| Clade: | Crocodyliformes |
| Clade: | Metasuchia |
| Clade: | Neosuchia |
| Clade: | Eusuchia |
| Family: | †Hylaeochampsidae |
| Genus: | †Hylaeochampsa Owen,1874 |
| Type species | |
| †Hylaeochampsa vectiana Owen, 1874 | |
| Synonyms | |
Hylaeochampsa is anextinctgenus ofeusuchiancrocodylomorphs. It is known only from a partial skull recovered fromBarremian-age rocks of theLower CretaceousVectis Formation (Wealden Group) of theIsle of Wight. This skull,BMNH R 177, is short and wide, with a eusuchian-likepalate and inferred enlargedposterior teeth that would have been suitable for crushing.[2]Hylaochampsa wasdescribed byRichard Owen in 1874, withH. vectiana as thetype species.[2] It may be the same genus as the slightly olderHeterosuchus, inferred to have been of similarevolutionary grade, but there is no overlapping material asHeterosuchus is known only fromvertebrae. If the two could be shown to besynonyms,Hylaeochampsa would have priority because it is the older name.Hylaeochampsa is thetype genus of the familyHylaeochampsidae, which also includesIharkutosuchus from theLate Cretaceous ofHungary. James Clark and Mark Norell positioned it as thesister group toCrocodylia.[3]Hylaeochampsa is currently the oldest known unambiguous eusuchian.[4]
Thecladogram below results from a 2011 Buscalioniet al.phylogenetic study:[5]
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