View source for Biology:Protosuchia

{{Short description|Extinct informal group of reptiles}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = [[Earth:Late Triassic|Late Triassic]] - [[Earth:Late Cretaceous|Late Cretaceous]]
| image = Protosuchus richardsoni AMNH 3024 cast.jpg
| image_caption = A skeleton of ''Protosuchus richardsoni'' in the [[Biology:American Museum of Natural History|American Museum of Natural History]]
| taxon = Protosuchia
| authority = Mook, 1934
| subdivision_ranks = Subgroups
| subdivision = See text.
}}

'''Protosuchia''' is a group of extinct Mesozoic crocodyliforms. They were small in size (~1 meter in length) and [[Biology:Terrestrial animal|terrestrial]]. In phylogenetic terms, Protosuchia is considered an informal group because it is a [[Biology:Evolutionary grade|grade]] of basal crocodyliforms, not a true [[Biology:Clade|clade]].

==Classification==
Recent phylogenetic analyses have not supported Protosuchia as a [[Biology:Monophyly|natural group]]. However, two studies found a clade of [[Earth:Late Triassic|Late Triassic]]-Early Jurassic animals:<ref name="Pol et al., 2004">Pol D, Ji S-a, Clark JM, Chiappe LM. 2004. Basal crocodyliforms from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group (Xinjiang, China), and the phylogenetic position of ''Edentosuchus''. ''Cretaceous Research'' '''25''': 603-622.</ref><ref name="Fiorelli & Calvo, 2007">Fiorelli LE, Calvo JO. 2007. The first "protosuchian" (Archosauria: Crocodyliformes) from the Cretaceous (Santonian) of Gondwana. ''Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro'' '''65''' (4): 417-459.</ref>

*''[[Biology:Edentosuchus|Edentosuchus]]''
*''[[Biology:Hemiprotosuchus|Hemiprotosuchus]]''
*''[[Biology:Orthosuchus|Orthosuchus]]''
*''[[Biology:Protosuchus|Protosuchus]]''

Both of these studies also found a [[Biology:Clade|clade]] more closely related to ''[[Biology:Hsisosuchus|Hsisosuchus]]'' and [[Biology:Mesoeucrocodylia|Mesoeucrocodylia]] consisting of Late Jurassic-[[Earth:Late Cretaceous|Late Cretaceous]] genera:<ref name="Pol et al., 2004"/><ref name="Fiorelli & Calvo, 2007"/>

*''[[Biology:Neuquensuchus|Neuquensuchus]]''
*''[[Biology:Shantungosuchus|Shantungosuchus]]''
*''[[Biology:Sichuanosuchus|Sichuanosuchus]]''
*''[[Biology:Zosuchus|Zosuchus]]''

However, other possible protosuchians from the [[Earth:Late Cretaceous|Late Cretaceous]] of {{wipe|China}}-Mongolia, the [[Biology:Gobiosuchidae|Gobiosuchidae]] (''[[Biology:Gobiosuchus|Gobiosuchus]]'' and ''[[Biology:Zaraasuchus|Zaraasuchus]]''), have been found to be either intermediate between these two clades,<ref name="Pol et al., 2004"/> or members of the ''Sichuanosuchus'' clade.<ref name="Fiorelli & Calvo, 2007"/> There is also another family of Late Jurassic-[[Earth:Late Cretaceous|Late Cretaceous]] genera, the [[Biology:Shartegosuchidae|Shartegosuchidae]] (e.g. ''[[Biology:Kyasuchus|Kyasuchus]]'', ''[[Biology:Shartegosuchus|Shartegosuchus]]'' and ''[[Biology:Nominosuchus|Nominosuchus]]'').

Below is a [[Biology:Cladogram|cladogram]] from Fiorelli and Calvo (2007).<ref name="Fiorelli & Calvo, 2007"/> Protosuchians are marked by the green bracket.

{{Barlabel|size=18|at=8.5|label=Protosuchians|colour=green|style=font-size:80%
|cladogram=
{{clade
|label1=[[Biology:Crocodylomorpha|Crocodylomorpha]]&nbsp;   
|1={{cladex
   |1={{cladex
      |1=''[[Biology:Terrestrisuchus|Terrestrisuchus]]''
      |2=''[[Biology:Dibothrosuchus|Dibothrosuchus]]''}}
   |label2=&nbsp;[[Biology:Crocodyliformes|Crocodyliformes]]&nbsp;
   |2={{cladex
      |1={{cladex
         |label1=&nbsp;[[Biology:Gobiosuchidae|Gobiosuchidae]]&nbsp;
         |1={{cladex
            |1=''[[Biology:Gobiosuchus|Gobiosuchus]]'' |barbegin1=green
            |2=''[[Biology:Zaraasuchus|Zaraasuchus]]'' |bar2=green }}
         |2={{cladex
            |1=''[[Biology:Orthosuchus|Orthosuchus]]'' |bar1=green
            |2={{cladex
               |label1=&nbsp;[[Biology:Protosuchidae|Protosuchidae]]&nbsp;
               |1={{cladex
                  |1=''[[Biology:Protosuchus|Protosuchus]]'' |bar1=green
                  |2=''[[Biology:Hemiprotosuchus|Hemiprotosuchus]]'' |bar2=green}}
               |2={{cladex
                  |1="Kayenta Form" |bar1=green
                  |2=''[[Biology:Edentosuchus|Edentosuchus]]'' |bar2=green}} }} }} }}
      |label2=&nbsp;[[Biology:Mesoeucrocodylia|Mesoeucrocodylia]]&nbsp; 
      |2={{cladex
         |1={{cladex
            |1="[[Biology:Fruitachampsa|Fruitachampsa]]"
            |2={{cladex
               |1=''[[Biology:Zosuchus|Zosuchus]]''
               |2={{cladex
                  |1=''[[Biology:Sichuanosuchus|Sichuanosuchus]]''
                  |2={{cladex
                     |1=''[[Biology:Shantungosuchus|Shantungosuchus]]''
                     |2=''[[Biology:Neuquensuchus|Neuquensuchus]]''}} }} }} }} |barend1=green
         |2={{cladex 
            |1=''[[Biology:Hsisosuchus|Hsisosuchus]]''
            |label2=&nbsp;[[Biology:Metasuchia|Metasuchia]]&nbsp;
            |2={{cladex
               |1=[[Biology:Neosuchia|Neosuchia]]
               |2=[[Biology:Peirosauridae|Peirosauridae]]
               |3=[[Biology:Notosuchia|Notosuchia]]
}} }} }} }} }} }} }}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q134238}}

[[Category:Terrestrial crocodylomorphs]]
[[Category:Jurassic crocodylomorphs]]
[[Category:Late Cretaceous crocodylomorphs]]
[[Category:Late Triassic first appearances]]
[[Category:Late Cretaceous extinctions]]
[[Category:Paraphyletic groups]]



{{Sourceattribution|Protosuchia}}