# Capitosauria

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Capitosauria
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Capitosauria.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitosauria
> Source revision: 1304150903
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Extinct clade of amphibians

Capitosauria Temporal range: Early Triassic–Late Triassic PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Mastodonsaurus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Tetrapoda Order: †Temnospondyli Suborder: †Stereospondyli Clade: †Capitosauria Schoch and Milner, 2000 Subgroups †Calmasuchus †Edingerella †Huangfuchuansuchus †Samarabatrachus †Sclerothorax †Vladlenosaurus †Warrenisuchus †Watsonisuchus †Mastodonsauroidea Synonyms Capitosauridae

**Capitosauria** is an extinct group of large [temnospondyl](/source/Temnospondyl) amphibians with simplified [stereospondyl](/source/Stereospondyl) vertebrae. Mainly living as [piscivores](/source/Piscivore) in lakes and rivers, the Capitosauria and its [sister taxon](/source/Sister_taxon) [Trematosauria](/source/Trematosauria) were the only major [labyrinthodonts](/source/Labyrinthodont) that existed during the [Mesozoic](/source/Mesozoic) in ecological niches broadly similar to those of modern [crocodiles](/source/Crocodile), and some grew to very large sizes. At 6 meters in length, the Mid-Triassic *[Mastodonsaurus giganteus](/source/Mastodonsaurus)* is not only thought to have been the largest capitosaur, but possibly also the largest amphibian to have lived.[1] The latest known remains are from the [Rhaetian](/source/Rhaetian) of Germany and are referred to *[Cyclotosaurus](/source/Cyclotosaurus)*.[2]

Capitosauria was first named by Schoch and Milner (2000) and further described by Yates and Warren (2000), who assigned *[Lydekkerina](/source/Lydekkerina)* and [Mastodonsauroidea](/source/Mastodonsauroidea) to it.[3][4] It was described by Damiani (2001) under the name Mastodonsauroidea.[5] In their phylogenetic analysis of temnospondyls, Ruta *et al.* (2007) placed *Lydekkerina* and its relatives within the clade [Rhytidostea](/source/Rhytidostea), while placing only mastodonsauroid taxa within Capitosauria.[6]

## Phylogeny

Below is a [cladogram](/source/Cladogram) from Fortuny *et al.* (2011) showing the [phylogenetic](/source/Phylogenetic) relationships of capitosaurs:[7]

Stereospondyli Lydekkerina huxleyi Rhinesuchidae Rhineceps nyasaensis Uranocentrodon senekalensis Capitosauria Wetlugasaurus angustifrons Odenwaldia heidelbergensis Vladlenosaurus alexeyevi Edingerella madagascariensis Watsonisuchus spp. Xenotosuchus africanus Cherninia denwai Paracyclotosaurus crookshanki Stanocephalosaurus pronus Stanocephalosaurus birdi Procyclotosaurus stantonensis Eocyclotosaurus spp. Quasicyclotosaurus campi Parotosuchus orenburgensis Calmasuchus acri Cyclotosaurus robustus Tatrasuchus wildi Eryosuchus garjainovi Mastodonsaurus giganteus Trematosauria Benthosuchus sushkini Trematosauroidea Thoosuchus yakovlevi Angusaurus spp. Trematosaurus brauni

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Palaeos_1-0)** ["Capitosauria"](http://palaeos.com/vertebrates/temnospondyli/capitosauria.html). *[Palaeos](/source/Palaeos)*. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Konietzko-Meier, Dorota; Werner, Jennifer D.; Wintrich, Tanja; Martin Sander, P. (31 October 2018). ["A large temnospondyl humerus from the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) of Bonenburg (Westphalia, Germany) and its implications for temnospondyl extinction"](http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41513-018-0092-0). *Journal of Iberian Geology*. **45** (2): 287–300. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/s41513-018-0092-0](https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs41513-018-0092-0). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1698-6180](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1698-6180). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [134049099](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:134049099).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-SM00_3-0)** Schoch, R. R.; Milner, A. R. (2000). "Stereospondyli". In P. Wellnhofer (ed.). *Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie*. Vol. 3B. Munich: Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil. p. 203.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-YW00_4-0)** Yates, A. M.; Warren, A. A. (2000). ["The phylogeny of the "higher" temnospondyls (Vertebrata: Choanata) and its implications for the monophyly and origins of Stereospondyli"](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1096-3642.2000.tb00650.x). *Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society*. **128**: 77–121. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.1096-3642.2000.tb00650.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1096-3642.2000.tb00650.x).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DRJ01_5-0)** Damiani, R. J. (2001). ["A systematic revision and phylogenetic analysis of Triassic mastodonsauroids (Temnospondyli: Stereospondyli)"](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1096-3642.2001.tb00635.x). *Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society*. **133** (4): 379–482. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.1096-3642.2001.tb00635.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1096-3642.2001.tb00635.x).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-REA07_6-0)** Ruta, M.; Pisani, D.; Lloyd, G. T.; Benton, M. J. (2007). ["A supertree of Temnospondyli: cladogenetic patterns in the most species-rich group of early tetrapods"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2293949). *Proceedings of the Royal Society B*. **274** (1629): 3087–3095. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1098/rspb.2007.1250](https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frspb.2007.1250). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [2293949](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2293949). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [17925278](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17925278).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FGS11_7-0)** Fortuny, J.; Galobart, À.; Santisteban, C. D. (2011). ["A New Capitosaur from the Middle Triassic of Spain and the Relationships within the Capitosauria"](https://doi.org/10.4202%2Fapp.2010.0025). *Acta Palaeontologica Polonica*. **56** (3): 553. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.4202/app.2010.0025](https://doi.org/10.4202%2Fapp.2010.0025).

## External links

- [Capitosauria](https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=150344) in the [Paleobiology Database](/source/Paleobiology_Database)

- [Paleontology portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Paleontology)

v t e Stereospondyli Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Tetrapodomorpha Order: Temnospondyli Tetrapodomorpha see Tetrapodomorpha Temnospondyli see Temnospondyli Stereospondyli see below↓ Stereospondyli Stereospondyli Arachana Capulomala Peltobatrachus Lapillopsidae Lapillopsis Manubrantlia Rhigerpeton Rotaurisaurus Rhinesuchidae Australerpeton? Broomistega Laccosaurus Parapytanga? Rastosuchus Rhineceps Rhinesuchoides Rhinesuchus Uranocentrodon Lydekkerinidae Chomatobatrachus Cryobatrachus Deltacephalus Eolydekkerina Indobenthosuchus Luzocephalus? Lydekkerina Capitosauria Antarctosuchus Bukobaja Calmasuchus Capitosaurus Cherninia Cyclotosaurus Edingerella Eocyclotosaurus Eryosuchus Heptasaurus Huangfuchuansuchus Jammerbergia Kestrosaurus Kupferzellia Mastodonsaurus Meyerosuchus Odenwaldia Paracyclotosaurus Parotosuchus Quasicyclotosaurus Procyclotosaurus Promastodonsaurus Rhadalognathus Samarabatrachus Sassenisaurus Sclerothorax Selenocara Stanocephalosaurus Stenotosaurus Subcyclotosaurus Tatrasuchus Vladlenosaurus Volgasaurus Volgasuchus Warrenisuchus Watsonisuchus Wellesaurus Wetlugasaurus Xenotosuchus Yuanansuchus Trematosauria see below↓ Trematosauria Trematosauria Almasaurus Bothriceps Callistomordax Chinlestegophis Keratobrachyops Laidleria Latiscopus Qantas Rileymillerus Syrtosuchus Uruyiella Benthosuchidae Benthosuchus Kwatisuchus Trematosauridae Angusaurus Aphaneramma Cosgriffius Erythrobatrachus Gonioglyptus Hyperokynodon Icanosaurus Indolyrocephalus Inflectosaurus Lyrocephaliscus Microposaurus Panchetosaurus Platystega Prothoosuchus Stoschiosaurus Tertrema Tertremoides Thoosuchus Tirraturhinus Trematolestes Trematosuchoides Trematosaurus Trematosuchus Trematotegmen Wantzosaurus Metoposauridae Anaschisma Apachesaurus Arganasaurus Buettnererpeton Dutuitosaurus Metoposaurus Panthasaurus Rhytidosteidae Boreopelta Mahavisaurus Nanolania Peltostega Pneumatostega Rhytidosteus Sangaia Trucheosaurus Derwentiinae Arcadia Acerastia Deltasaurus Derwentia Indobrachyops Rewana Chigutisauridae Arenaerpeton Chigutisaurus Compsocerops Koolasuchus Pelorocephalus Siderops Brachyopidae Banksiops Bathignathus Batrachosaurus Batrachosuchoides Batrachosuchus Blinasaurus Brachyops Gobiops Hadrokkosaurus Notobrachyops Platycepsion Sinobrachyops Vanastega Vigilius Xenobrachyops Plagiosauridae Gerrothorax Megalophthalma Plagiobatrachus Plagiorophus Plagiosaurus Plagioscutum Plagiosternum Plagiosuchus See also: Trematosauroidea Metoposauroidea Rhytidosteoidea Brachyopomorpha Brachyopoidea Plagiosauroidea Category

Taxon identifiers Capitosauria Wikidata: Q5035979 Wikispecies: Capitosauria Paleobiology Database: 150344

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Capitosauria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitosauria) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitosauria?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.