# Mesorhinosuchus > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mesorhinosuchus > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mesorhinosuchus.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesorhinosuchus > Source revision: 1283173374 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Extinct genus of reptiles Mesorhinosuchus Temporal range: Early Triassic, Olenekian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: †Phytosauria Genus: †Mesorhinosuchus Kuhn, 1961 Type species †Mesorhinus fraasi Jaekel, 1910 Synonyms Mesorhinosaurus fraasi (Jaekel, 1910) Mesosuchus fraasi (Jaekel, 1910) Paleorhinus fraasi (Jaekel, 1910) Parasuchus fraasi (Jaekel, 1910) ***Mesorhinosuchus*** ("middle nose crocodile") is an [extinct](/source/Extinct) [genus](/source/Genus) of [basal](/source/Basal_(phylogenetics)) [phytosaur](/source/Phytosaur) possibly known from the [Early Triassic](/source/Early_Triassic) (early [Olenekian](/source/Olenekian) stage) of [Saxony-Anhalt](/source/Saxony-Anhalt), central-eastern [Germany](/source/Germany). It was first named by [Otto Jaekel](/source/Otto_Jaekel) in [1910](/source/1910_in_paleontology) and the [type species](/source/Type_species) is ***Mesorhinus fraasi***.[1] The generic name *Mesorhinus* was preoccupied by *[Mesorhinus](/source/Mesorhinus) piramydatus*, a [macraucheniid](/source/Macraucheniid) [mammal](/source/Mammal), which is now considered to be a junior synonym of *[Oxyodontherium](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oxyodontherium&action=edit&redlink=1)*. Thus, an alternative generic name, *Mesorhinosuchus*, was proposed by [Oskar Kuhn](/source/Oskar_Kuhn) in [1961](/source/1961_in_paleontology).[2] The genus is occasionally misspelled as *Mesorhinosaurus*, while Stocker and Butler's study in 2013 misspelled its original generic name as *[Mesosuchus](/source/Mesosuchus)*.[3] Jaekel originally described the [taxon](/source/Taxon) on the basis of a single specimen he found in the collections of the [University of Göttingen](/source/University_of_G%C3%B6ttingen), with a label that identified it as a [temnospondyl](/source/Temnospondyl) from the [Lower Buntsandstein](/source/Lower_Buntsandstein) (Early Triassic) of Saxony-Anhalt.[1] The [holotype](/source/Holotype), an unnumbered GZG partial [skull](/source/Skull) with the [anterior](/source/Anatomical_terms_of_location) tip missing, was destroyed during [World War II](/source/World_War_II). According to Stocker and Butler, based on the photograph in the original description, the holotype skull was undoubtedly phytosaurian, making it putatively the stratigraphically-lowest phytosaur known. Jaekel found a potential match of the sediment in which the skull was preserved to the Wipperbrücke, Parforcehaus locality, a horizon at the very base of the [Middle Buntsandstein](/source/Middle_Buntsandstein) near [Bernburg](/source/Bernburg). This would make the specimen early [Olenekian](/source/Olenekian) (Smithian) in age.[3] However, because the holotype was destroyed with no surviving casts, and its provenance cannot be confirmed without new specimens, it have been largely ignored by recent authors, or assumed that its reported stratigraphic occurrence was incorrect.[4] Various authors referred *M. fraasi* to as *[Paleorhinus](/source/Paleorhinus) fraasi* or *[Parasuchus](/source/Parasuchus) fraasi*, while a more recent review of the [Phytosauria](/source/Phytosauria) by Stocker and Butler refrained from doing so, assigning it to [Phytosauria](/source/Phytosauria) *[incertae sedis](/source/Incertae_sedis)*.[3] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jaekel1910_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jaekel1910_1-1) Jaekel, O. (1910). Ueber einen neuen Belodonten aus dem Buntsandstein von Bernburg. *Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin*, **5**:197-229. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Mesorhinosuchus_2-0)** Kuhn, O. (1961). Die Familien der rezenten und fossilen Amphibien und Reptilien. *Verlaghus Meisenbach KG, Bamberg*, 1-79. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-StockerButler13_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-StockerButler13_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-StockerButler13_3-2) Stocker, M. R.; Butler, R. J. (2013). "Phytosauria". *Geological Society, London, Special Publications*. **379** (1): 91–117. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2013GSLSP.379...91S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013GSLSP.379...91S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1144/SP379.5](https://doi.org/10.1144%2FSP379.5). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [219192243](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:219192243). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-HuntLucas91_4-0)** Hunt, A. P., and Lucas, S. G. (1991). [The *Paleorhinus* biochron and the correlation of the non-marine Upper Triassic of Pangaea](https://www.scribd.com/doc/4652272/The-Paleorhinus-biochron-and-the-correlation-of-the-nonmarine-Upper-Triassic-of-Pangaea). *Palaeontology* **34**(2):487-501. - [Paleontology portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Paleontology) v t e Phytosauria Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Clade: Archosauromorpha Clade: Crurotarsi Sauropsida see Sauropsida Archosauromorpha see Archosauromorpha Phytosauria see below↓ Phytosauria Phytosauria Calamosuchus Diandongosuchus Heteropelta? Parasuchidae Arganarhinus Ebrachosuchus Paleorhinus Parasuchus Wannia Mystriosuchinae / Phytosauridae Angistorhinus Brachysuchus Colossosuchus Jupijkam Protome Rutiodon Volcanosuchus Leptosuchomorpha Leptosuchus Pravusuchus Smilosuchus Mystriosuchini Angistorhinopsis Machaeroprosopus Mystriosuchus Nicrosaurus Redondasaurus Nomina dubia Belodon Centemodon Clepsysaurus? Coburgosuchus Compsosaurus Francosuchus Heterodontosuchus Mesorhinosuchus Omosaurus? Palaeoctonus? Phytosaurus Rileyasuchus Suchoprion Termatosaurus? Category Taxon identifiers Mesorhinosuchus Wikidata: Q10872683 GBIF: 8535042 Open Tree of Life: 6149609 Paleobiology Database: 170545 This article about a prehistoric archosaur is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Paleo-archosaur-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3APaleo-archosaur-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Paleo-archosaur-stub) This article about a Triassic reptile is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Triassic-reptile-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3ATriassic-reptile-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Triassic-reptile-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mesorhinosuchus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesorhinosuchus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesorhinosuchus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.