Rauisuchidae Explained

Rauisuchidae is a group of large (up to [1]) predatory Triassic archosaurs. Some disagreement exists over which genera should be included in the Rauisuchidae and which should be in the related Prestosuchidae and Poposauridae, and indeed whether these should even be thought of as separate valid families. Rauisuchids occurred throughout much of the Triassic, and may have first occurred in the Early Triassic if some archosaurian taxa such as Scythosuchus and Tsylmosuchus are considered to be within the family.[2]

An early cladistic analysis of crocodylotarsan (pseudosuchian) archosaurs included Lotosaurus, Fasolasuchus, Rauisuchus, and "the Kupferzell rauisuchid" (later called Batrachotomus) within the Rauisuchidae.[3] However, a later study found that Batrachotomus was a more basal pseudosuchian only slightly more "advanced" than Prestosuchus.[4] In addition, the toothless Lotosaurus has been found to be more closely related to the Ctenosauriscidae, a clade of poposauroids with sails on their backs.[5]

Two genera, previously classified as poposaurids, are in fact rauisuchids. These include Teratosaurus[6] [7] and Postosuchus.[8]

Genera

GenusStatusAgeLocationUnitNotesImages
Arganasuchus?ValidLate Triassic MoroccoNamed for the Moroccan fossil site where it was discovered, the Argana Basin. Its phylogenetic placement is uncertain.
Fenhosuchus?ValidAnisian ChinaMay be a chimera of fossils from the erythrosuchid Shansisuchus and an indeterminate archosaur.
Jushatyria?ValidLadinianPlacement uncertain
PolonosuchusValidCarnian Poland
PostosuchusValidLate Triassic United StatesChinle Formation
Newark Supergroup
One of the most well-known genera of Rauisuchidae
Procerosuchus?ValidCarnian BrazilSanta Maria FormationPlacement uncertain
RauisuchusValidLate Triassic Brazil
ScolotosuchusValidOlenekianLipovskaya Formation
TeratosaurusValidNorian - Rhaetian GermanyLöwenstein FormationOnce considered an early carnosaurian dinosaur
Tikisuchus?ValidLate Triassic IndiaTiki FormationPlacement uncertain
VivaronValidNorian United StatesChinle Formation
Vjushkovisaurus?ValidAnisianMay be an erythrosuchid
Vytshegdosuchus?ValidOlenekianPlacement uncertain

External links

Notes and References

  1. Weinbaum . J. C. . 10.1144/SP379.7 . Postcranial skeleton of Postosuchus kirkpatricki (Archosauria: Paracrocodylomorpha), from the upper Triassic of the United States . Geological Society, London, Special Publications . 2013 . 379 . 1 . 525–553. 2013GSLSP.379..525W . 129092753 .
  2. Book: Gower, D. J. . Sennikov, A. G. . 2003 . Early archosaurs from Russia . The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia . Benton, M. J. . Shishkin, M. A. . Unwin, D. M. . Cambridge University Press . Cambridge . 140–159.
  3. Parrish. J. M.. 1993. Phylogeny of the Crocodylotarsi, with reference to archosaurian and crurotarsan monophyly. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 13. 3. 287–308. 10.1080/02724634.1993.10011511. 84288744.
  4. Gower. David J.. 2002. Braincase evolution in Suchian Archosaurs (Reptilia: Diapsida): Evidence from the Rauisuchian Batrachotomus kupferzellensis. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 136. 1. 49–76. 10.1046/j.1096-3642.2002.00025.x. free.
  5. Nesbitt. S.J.. 2005. Osteology of the Middle Triassic pseudosuchian archosaur Arizonasaurus babbitti. Historical Biology. 8. 1. 19–47. 10.1080/08912960500476499. 84326151.
  6. Long. Robert A.. Murry. Phillip. A.. 1995. Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) tetrapods from the southwestern United States. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin. 4. 1–254.
  7. Galton PM, Walker AD.. November 1996. Bromsgroveia from the Middle Triassic of England, the earliest record of a poposaurid thecodontian reptile (Archosauria: Rauisuchia). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen. 201. 3. 303–325. 10.1127/njgpa/201/1996/303.
  8. Weinbaum . J.C. . Hungerbühler, A. . 2007 . A revision of Poposaurus gracilis (Archosauria: Suchia) based on two new specimens from the Late Triassic of the southwestern U.S.A. . Paläontologische Zeitschrift . 81 . 2 . 131–145 . 10.1007/BF02988388 . 84822632 .