Neosuchia

{{Short description|Clade of reptiles}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = Early Jurassic - Recent, {{fossil range|196.5|0}} | image = Nilecroc100.jpg | image_caption = ''Crocodylus niloticus'', a modern crocodylid | image2 = Museum_of_Natural_History_Sarcosuchus.jpg | image2_caption = ''Sarcosuchus imperator'', a pholidosaurid from North Africa in the Early Cretaceous | taxon = Neosuchia | authority = Benton & Clark, 1988 | subdivision_ranks = Subgroups | subdivision = *†''Burkesuchus'' *†''Gilchristosuchus'' *†''Isisfordia'' *†''Karatausuchus'' *†''Khoratosuchus'' *†''Montsecosuchus'' *†''Paluxysuchus'' *†''Stolokrosuchus''? *†''Susisuchus'' *†''Tadzhikosuchus'' *†''Wahasuchus''? *†'''Atoposauridae''' *†'''Bernissartiidae''' *†'''Goniopholididae''' *†'''Paralligatoridae''' *†'''Stomatosuchidae''' *†'''Tethysuchia''' *†'''Thalattosuchia'''? *†'''Wannchampsidae''' *'''Eusuchia''' (includes crocodylians) }}

'''Neosuchia''' is a clade within Mesoeucrocodylia that includes all modern extant crocodilians and their closest fossil relatives.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=J. A. |last2=Malkani |first2=M. S. |last3=Gingerich |first3=P. D. |year=2001 |title=New crocodyliform (Reptilia, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Upper Cretaceous Pab Formation of Vitakri, Balochistan (Pakistan) |journal=Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan |volume=30 |issue=12 |pages=321–336 |url=http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48662/2/ID529.pdf |access-date=2009-11-02}}</ref> It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all crocodylomorphs more closely related to ''Crocodylus niloticus'' (the Nile Crocodile) than to ''Notosuchus terrestris''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Larsson |first1=H. C. E. |last2=Sidor |first2=C. A. |author-link2=Cristian Sidor |last3=Gado |first3=B. |year=2001 |title=The giant crocodyliform ''Sarcosuchus'' from the Cretaceous of Africa |journal=Science |volume=294 |issue=5546 |pages=1516–1519 |url=http://iris.nyit.edu/nycom/Faculty/Profiles/Sidor/Sarcosuchus.pdf |access-date=2009-11-02 |doi=10.1126/science.1066521 |pmid=11679634 |last4=Gado |first4=B |bibcode=2001Sci...294.1516S |s2cid=22956704 |archive-date=2012-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314191603/http://iris.nyit.edu/nycom/Faculty/Profiles/Sidor/Sarcosuchus.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Members of Neosuchia generally share a crocodilian-like bodyform adapted to freshwater aquatic life, as opposed to the terrestrial habits of more basal crocodylomorph groups.<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|last1=Wilberg|first1=Eric W.|last2=Turner|first2=Alan H.|last3=Brochu|first3=Christopher A.|date=2019-01-24|title=Evolutionary structure and timing of major habitat shifts in Crocodylomorpha|url=|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=514|bibcode=2019NatSR...9..514W|doi=10.1038/s41598-018-36795-1|issn=2045-2322|pmc=6346023|pmid=30679529}}</ref> The earliest neosuchian is suggested to be the Early Jurassic ''Calsoyasuchus'', which lived during the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian stages in North America. It is often identified as a member of Goniopholididae,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tykoski |first1=R. S. |last2=Rowe |first2=T. B. |last3=Ketcham |first3=R. A. |last4=Colbert |first4=M. W. |year=2002 |title=''Calsoyasuchus valliceps'', a new crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=593–611 |url=http://digimorph.org/specimens/Calsoyasuchusvalliceps/calsoyas.pdf |access-date=2009-11-02 |doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0593:CVANCF]2.0.CO;2}}</ref> though this is disputed, and the taxon may lie outside Neosuchia, which places the earliest records of the group in the Middle Jurassic.<ref name=":11" />

==Characteristics== [[File:Siamosuchus phuphokensis.png|thumb|Life restoration of ''Siamosuchus'', a member of Goniopholididae]]

Members of Neosuchia have a wide diversity of skull shapes. Several groups convergently evolved elongate gharial-like skulls, which makes determining phylogenetic relationships of these taxa problematic.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Groh |first1=Sebastian S |last2=Upchurch |first2=Paul |last3=Barrett |first3=Paul M |last4=Day |first4=Julia J |date=2019-10-19 |title=The phylogenetic relationships of neosuchian crocodiles and their implications for the convergent evolution of the longirostrine condition |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |article-number=zlz117 |language=en |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz117 |issn=0024-4082|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Phylogeny== Cladogram from Groh et al. 2022:<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Groh |first1=Sebastian S. |last2=Upchurch |first2=Paul |last3=Barrett |first3=Paul M. |last4=Day |first4=Julia J. |date=March 2022 |editor-last=Benson |editor-first=Roger |title=How to date a crocodile: estimation of neosuchian clade ages and a comparison of four time-scaling methods |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.12589 |journal=Palaeontology |language=en |volume=65 |issue=2 |article-number=e12589 |doi=10.1111/pala.12589 |bibcode=2022Palgy..6512589G |issn=0031-0239|doi-access=free }}</ref>{{clade |label1='''Neosuchia''' |1={{clade |1=†''Alligatorellus'' |2={{clade |1=†''Alligatorium'' |2={{clade |1=†Atoposauridae 120px |2={{clade |1=†Tethysuchia 100px |2={{clade |1=†Goniopholididae 120px |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=†''Koumpiodontosuchus'' |2=†Paralligatoridae 120px }} |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=†''Susisuchus'' |2=†''Isisfordia'' 120px }} |2=Eusuchia 120px }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=93883 Neosuchia] in the Paleobiology Database

Category:Jurassic crocodylomorphs Category:Cretaceous crocodylomorphs Category:Paleogene crocodylomorphs Category:Neogene crocodylomorphs Category:Extant Early Jurassic first appearances Category:Neosuchia