| Protosuchia Temporal range:Late Triassic -Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
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| A skeleton ofProtosuchus richardsoni in theAmerican Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauria |
| Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
| Clade: | Crocodylomorpha |
| Clade: | Crocodyliformes |
| Informal group: | †Protosuchia Mook, 1934 |
| Subgroups | |
Protosuchia is a group of extinct Mesozoiccrocodyliforms. They were small in size (~1 meter in length) andterrestrial. Inphylogenetic terms, Protosuchia is considered an informal group because it is agrade of basal crocodyliforms, not a trueclade.
Recent phylogenetic analyses have not supported Protosuchia as anatural group. However, two studies found a clade ofLate Triassic-Early Jurassic animals:[1][2]
Both of these studies also found aclade more closely related toHsisosuchus andMesoeucrocodylia consisting ofLate Jurassic-Late Cretaceous genera:[1][2]
However, other possible protosuchians from theLate Cretaceous ofChina-Mongolia, theGobiosuchidae (Gobiosuchus andZaraasuchus), have been found to be either intermediate between these two clades,[1] or members of theSichuanosuchus clade.[2] There is also another family ofLate Jurassic-Late Cretaceous genera, theShartegosuchidae (e.g.Kyasuchus,Shartegosuchus andNominosuchus).
Below is acladogram from Fiorelli and Calvo (2007).[2] Protosuchians are marked by the green bracket.
Protosuchians |
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