Gobiosuchidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

crocodyliforms Crocodyliformes is a clade of crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the only pseudo ...

known from

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Genera

Three genera are currently classified within Gobiosuchidae: ''

Cassissuchus ''Cassissuchus'' is an extinct genus of gobiosuchid crocodyliform known from the Early Cretaceous Calizas de La Huérgina Formation in Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazo ...

'', ''

Gobiosuchus ''Gobiosuchus'' ("Gobi esertcrocodile") was a gobiosuchid crocodyliform described in 1972 by Polish palaeontologist Halszka Osmólska. It hails from the Late Cretaceous (Early Campanian) of Bayn Dzak ( Djadokhta Formation), in the Gobi Desert ...

'', and ''

Zaraasuchus ''Zaraasuchus'' ("hedgehog crocodile") was a gobiosuchid crocodyliform described in 2004 by Diego Pol and Mark Norell. It was found in the Red Beds of Zos Canyon, in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, thus making it Late Cretaceous in age. The type ...

''.Ángela D. Buscalioni (2017) The Gobiosuchidae in the early evolution of Crocodyliformes. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Article: e1324459 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2017.1324459 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2017.1324459

Synapomorphies

According to Pol & Norell (2004), gobiosuchids form a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

united by the following

synapomorphies In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to have ...

: * Parietal without broad occipital portion * Absence of external

mandibular fenestra The skull is a bone protective Cranial cavity, cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible ...

* More than two parallel rows of dorsal

osteoderm Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates, or other structures based in the dermis. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles and amphibians, including lizards, crocodilians, frogs, temnospondyls (extinct amp ...

s * Cranial table as wide as ventral portion of skull *

Palpebral An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid, exposing the cornea to the outside, giving vision. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily. The human eyel ...

s sutured to each other and the frontal, excluding it from the orbital margin * External surface of ascending process of

jugal The jugal is a skull bone found in most reptiles, amphibians and birds. In mammals, the jugal is often called the malar or zygomatic. It is connected to the quadratojugal and maxilla, as well as other bones, which may vary by species. Anatomy ...

exposed posterolaterally * Longitudinal ridge on lateral surface of jugal below infratemporal fenestra * Dorsal surface of posterolateral process of

squamosal The squamosal is a skull bone found in most reptiles, amphibians, and birds. In fishes, it is also called the pterotic bone. In most tetrapods, the squamosal and quadratojugal The quadratojugal is a skull bone present in many vertebrates, including ...

ornamented with three longitudinal ridges * Presence of a sharp ridge along ventral surface of angular *

Surangular The suprangular or surangular is a jaw bone found in most land vertebrates, except mammals. Usually in the back of the jaw, on the upper edge, it is connected to all other jaw bones: dentary, angular, splenial and articular The articular bone i ...

with a longitudinal ridge on its dorsolateral surface * Dorsal surface of osteoderms ornamented with anterolaterally and anteromedially directed ridges * Cervical region surrounded by lateral and ventral osteoderms sutured to the dorsal elements * Presence of appendicular osteoderms * Closed, or incipiently close, supratemporal fenestra

Sources

* Pol, D. & Norell, M. A., (2004). "A new gobiosuchid crocodyliform taxon from the Cretaceous of Mongolia". ''American Museum Novitates'' 3458: 1-31.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1012863 Early Cretaceous crocodylomorphs Late Cretaceous crocodylomorphs Terrestrial crocodylomorphs Early Cretaceous first appearances Late Cretaceous extinctions Prehistoric reptile families