Neosuchia

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]

Neosuchia Temporal range: Early Jurassic - Recent, 196.5–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Goniopholis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Metasuchia
Clade:	Neosuchia
Suborders and families
†Stem Neosuchia see text Eusuchia †Atoposauridae †Paralligatoridae †Hylaeochampsidae Crocodylia

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 Deltasuchus
  • Genus Khoratosuchus
  • Genus Lisboasaurus
  • Genus Paluxysuchus
  • Genus Stolokrosuchus
  • Genus Wahasuchus?
  • Family Susisuchidae
  • Suborder Thalattosuchia
    • Genus Pelagosaurus
    • Family Teleosauridae
    • Superfamily Metriorhynchoidea
  • Clade Coelognathosuchia
    • Family Goniopholididae
    • Suborder Tethysuchia
      • ?Family Elosuchidae
      • Family Dyrosauridae
      • Family Pholidosauridae
  • Family Stomatosuchidae
  • Family Bernissartiidae
  • Genus Gilchristosuchus
  • Suborder Eusuchia

Phylogeny

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               Kentisuchus 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     Atoposauridae   Pachycheilosuchus trinquei     Montsecosuchus depereti       Atoposaurus     Alligatorellus beaumonti         Alligatorium       Sabresuchus symplesiodon     Theriosuchus pusillus     Theriosuchus guimarotae           Goniopholididae     Eutretauranosuchus delfsi       Calsoyasuchus valliceps       Sunosuchus miaoi     Sunosuchus junggarensis             Vectisuchus leptognathus       Siamosuchus phuphokensis     Goniopholis stovalli     Goniopholis simus     Amphicotylus 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     Boverisuchus 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     Teleosauridae   "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       Teleosaurus cadomensis     Steneosaurus megarhinus           Metriorhynchoidea   Teleidosaurus calvadosii       Eoneustes bathonicus       Eoneustes gaudryi       Metriorhynchus sp. Chile       Zoneait nargorum             M. aff. M. brachyrhynchus       Purranisaurus potens     Purranisaurus casamiquelai           Suchodus durobrivensis     Suchodus brachyrhynchus             Gracilineustes acutus     Gracilineustes leedsi         Metriorhynchus superciliosus       Metriorhynchus geoffroyii       Metriorhynchus sp.     Metriorhynchus hastifer                   Dakosaurus sp. Mexico       Plesiosuchus manselii       Dakosaurus maximus     Dakosaurus andiniensis             Neptunidraco ammoniticus     Torvoneustes carpenteri       Geosaurus lapparenti       Geosaurus grandis     Geosaurus giganteus               Metriorhynchus indet.       Rhacheosaurus gracilis       Geosaurus sp. Cuba     Cricosaurus saltillense     Cricosaurus elegans     Cricosaurus suevicus       Cricosaurus gracilis     Cricosaurus vignaudi       Cricosaurus araucanensis       Cricosaurus schroederi     Cricosaurus macrospondylus

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. 24 (6): 598–606. doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.662680.

External links

• Neosuchia in the Paleobiology Database