Proterosuchidae

Proterosuchidae Temporal range: Late Permian to Early Triassic
Proterosuchus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauriformes
Family:	†Proterosuchidae Huene, 1914
Synonyms
Proterosuchinae Huene, 1914 Chasmatosauridae Haughton, 1924 Chasmatosaurinae Haughton, 1924 Pelycosimiidae Abel, 1919

Proterosuchidae is an early, possibly paraphyletic, assemblage of basal archosauriformes whose fossils are known from the Latest Permian of Russia and the Early Triassic of southern Africa, Russia, China, Australia, and Antarctica. The name comes from Greek πρότερο- ("first") and σοῦχος ("crocodile"). They were slender, medium-sized (about 1.5 meters long), long-snouted and superficially crocodile-like animals, although they lack the armoured scutes of true crocodiles, and in their skeletal features are much more primitive. Their most characteristic feature is a distinct down-turning of the premaxilla (the front of the upper jaw, which overhangs the lower jaw). The limbs are short and indicate a sprawling posture, like contemporary lizards but unlike most later archosaurs.

Archosaurus rossicus - Permian proterosuchid

The proterosuchids represent perhaps the earliest adaptive radiation of the archosaurs. They gave rise to the Erythrosuchidae some time in the Early Triassic.

Classification

Some studies consider Proterosuchidae to be a paraphyletic grouping, meaning that it does not form a true clade with a single common ancestor and proterosuchids as its only descendants. Instead, they are a chain of successively basal archosauriforms. Below is a cladogram from Ezcurra et al. (2010):^[1]

References

• 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)

v t e Archosauromorphs Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Subclass: Diapsida   Major clades Archosauriformes Crurotarsi Pseudosuchia Avemetatarsalia Ornithodira Pterosauria Dinosauria   Rhynchosauria Basal rhynchosaurs Howesia Mesosuchus Rhynchosauridae Rhynchosaurus Hyperodapedontidae Bentonyx Fodonyx Mesodapedon Otischalkia Stenaulorhynchus Hyperodapedontinae Ammorhynchus Hyperodapedon Isalorhynchus Supradapedon Teyumbaita   Protorosauria Basal protorosaurs Cosesaurus Fuyuansaurus Jesairosaurus Langobardisaurus Macrocnemus Malerisaurus Protorosauridae Czatkowiella Eorasaurus Protorosaurus Sharovipterygidae Sharovipteryx Tanystropheidae Amotosaurus Augustaburiania Dinocephalosaurus Gwyneddosaurus Protanystropheus Tanystropheus Tanytrachelos Drepanosauromorpha Hypuronector Kyrgyzsaurus ?Longisquama Elyurosauria Vallesaurus Drepanosauridae Dolabrosaurus Megalancosaurinae Drepanosaurus Megalancosaurus   Other basal archosauromorphs Possible archosauromorphs Chelonii Choristodera ?Helveticosaurus Indeterminate archosauromorphs Azendohsaurus Elachistosuchus Mecistotrachelos Prolacertoides Teraterpeton Trachelosaurus Trilophosauria / Trilophosauridae ?Anisodontosaurus ?Coelodontognathus Doniceps Spinosuchus Tricuspisaurus Trilophosaurus Variodens ?Vitalia Prolacertidae Boreopricea Kadimakara Malutinisuchus Pamelaria Prolacerta Vritramimosaurus   Archosauriformes Proterosuchidae Ankistrodon Archosaurus Blomosuchus Chasmatosuchus Exilisuchus ?Gamosaurus Kalisuchus Proterosuchus Tasmaniosaurus Vonhuenia Erythrosuchidae Chalishevia Erythrosuchus ?Fenhosuchus Fugusuchus Garjainia Guchengosuchus ?Jaikosuchus Shansisuchus Vjushkovia Uralosaurus Doswelliidae Ankylosuchus Archeopelta Doswellia Jaxtasuchus Tarjadia Vancleavea Euparkeriidae ?Dorosuchus Euparkeria ?Halazhaisuchus ?Osmolskina ?Wangisuchus Proterochampsia Proterochampsidae Barberenachampsa Proterochampsa Rhadinosuchidae Cerritosaurus Chanaresuchus Gualosuchus Rhadinosuchus Tropidosuchus Other basal taxa Arctosaurus Asperoris "Cinizasaurus" Collilongus Crosbysaurus Cuyosuchus Dongusuchus Energosuchus Koilamasuchus Lucianosaurus Sarmatosuchus Scythosuchus Tecovasaurus "Teleocrater" Tsylmosuchus Uatchitodon Vjushkovisaurus Yonghesuchus Crurotarsi Phytosauria Phytosauridae Archosauria Brasileosaurus "Cryptoraptor" Jushatyria Protecovasaurus Razanandrongobe Sikannisuchus Smok Pseudosuchia Crocodylia Avemetatarsalia Pterosauria Dinosauria Aves   Related categories Archosaurs