Proterosuchidae
| Proterosuchids Temporal range:
Latest Permian to Latest Early Triassic ,
Possible Middle Triassic records | |
|---|---|
| |
| Restored skull of Archosaurus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauromorpha |
| Clade: | Archosauriformes |
| Family: | †Proterosuchidae Huene, 1914 |
| Genera | |
| Synonyms | |
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Proterosuchidae is an early family of basal archosauriforms whose fossils are known from the Late Permian and the Early Triassic. The highest diversity of genera is known from European Russia, but fossils are also known from South Africa, India, China, Australia, Brazil and possibly Argentina.[1] The name comes from Greek πρότερο- ("first") and σοῦχος ("crocodile").
Description
They were slender, medium-sized (about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) long, largest specimens reached 3.5–4 m (11–13 ft)[2]), long-snouted and superficially crocodile-like animals, although they lacked the armoured scutes of true crocodiles, and their skeletal features are much more primitive. The limbs are short and indicate a sprawling posture, like contemporary lizards but unlike most later archosaurs.
Their most characteristic feature is a distinct down-turning of the premaxilla (the front of the upper jaw, which overhangs the lower jaw).
Evolutionary history
The terminal
A 2023 study recovered a majority of proterosuchids outside of Proterosuchus and Sarmatosuchus as belonging to a distinct subfamily, the Chasmatosuchinae. Chasmatosuchinae contains many Triassic proterosuchids in addition to the only Permian proterosuchid, Archosaurus; this would suggest that an initial taxonomic diversification of the Proterosuchidae (including an initial taxonomic divergence between Proterosuchus and chasmatosuchines) had already occurred in the Permian.[1]
Classification
Phylogeny
Recent studies consider Proterosuchidae to be at least a partially
|
previously assigned to Proterosuchidae |
The following phylogeny for the Proterosuchidae sensu stricto was recovered by Ezcurra et al (2023):[1]
| Proterosuchidae |
| ||||||||||||
Genera
| Genus[5] | Status | Age | Location | Description | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nomen dubium | Early Triassic | India | |||
| Valid | Late Permian, Changhsingian
|
Russia | 
| ||
| nomen dubium | Early Triassic, Induan | Russia | |||
| Valid | Early Triassic | Russia | 
| ||
| Gamosaurus | Valid[1] | Early Triassic | Russia | ||
| Jaikosuchus | Valid[1] | Early Triassic | Russia | ||
| Koilamasuchus | Disputed | Middle - Late Triassic | Argentina | ||
| Valid | Early Triassic | South Africa | 
| ||
| Samsarasuchus | Valid | Early Triassic | India | ||
| Sarmatosuchus | Disputed | Early Triassic | Russia | 
| |
| Tsylmosuchus | Valid[1] | Early Triassic | Russia | ||
| Valid[1] | Early Triassic, Induan | Russia |
References
- ^ PMID 37885992.
- ISBN 9781862393615. Retrieved 14 September 2022.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Archosauria: Archosauriformes". Palaeos. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- S2CID 83826840.
- ^ a b c Ezcurra, M.D. (2016). The phylogenetic relationships of basal archosauromorphs, with an emphasis on the systematics of proterosuchian archosauriforms. PeerJ, e1778 [1]
Further reading
- Benton, M. J. (2000), Vertebrate Paleontology, 2nd Ed.; (2004) 3rd edition Blackwell Science Ltd
- Carroll, R. L. (1988), Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, WH Freeman & Co.
External links
- Proterosuchidae
- Proterosuchidae - list of species (Mikko's Phylogeny Archive)