| Silesauridae Temporal range: Triassic, 245–203 Ma Anisian - Norian |
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|---|---|
| Silesaurus, type genus of Silesauridae | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Branch: | Dinosauriformes |
| Family: | †Silesauridae Langer et al., 2010 |
| Clades | |
Silesauridae is an extinct clade of dinosauriformes, a group of Triassic reptiles that included early ancestors of the dinosaurs. The silesaurids were a sister clade to the dinosaurs. The family was named in 2010 by paleontologist Max C. Langer and colleagues from Brazil and Argentina. They defined it as a branch-based clade of all archosaurs closer to Silesaurus opolensis than to either Heterodontosaurus tucki or Marasuchus lilloensis. At the same time, a second group of scientists independently named Silesauridae as a node-based clade consisting of Lewisuchus, Silesaurus, their common ancestor and all its descendants.[1] Currently, both definitions encompass the same group of animals.
The fossils range in age from the Anisian to the Norian stages of the Triassic, about 245 to 203 million years ago.[1][2]
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Among the members of the Silesauridae were Silesaurus (which lends its name to the family), Pseudolagosuchus, Lewisuchus, Asilisaurus, Technosaurus, Eucoelophysis, Sacisaurus, and Diodorus.[1] The cladogram to the right shows one of two current (2010) phylogenies of the Silesauridae.