Gondwana
Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...
n family of
mesoeucrocodylia
Mesoeucrocodylia is the clade that includes Eusuchia and crocodyliforms formerly placed in the paraphyletic group Mesosuchia. The group appeared during the Early Jurassic, and continues to the present day.
Diagnosis
It was long known that M ...
ns that lived during the
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 ...
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Era, a length or span of time
* Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
. It was 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, ...
of terrestrial crocodyliforms that evolved a rather dog-like form, and were terrestrial carnivores. It was
phylogenetically
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
defined in 2004 as the
most recent common ancestor
In biology and genetic genealogy, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), also known as the last common ancestor (LCA) or concestor, of a set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all the organisms of the set are descended. The ...
of ''
Peirosaurus
''Peirosaurus'' is an extinct genus of peirosaurid crocodylomorph known from the Late Cretaceous period (late Maastrichtian stage) of Minas Gerais, southern Brazil. It contains a single species, ''Peirosaurus torminni''. It is the type genus of ...
'' and Lomasuchinae and all of its descendants. Lomasuchinae is a
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
of peirosaurids that includes the genus ''
Lomasuchus
''Lomasuchus'' is an extinct genus of peirosaurid notosuchian known from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian stage) of Neuquén Province, western central Argentina. It contains a single species, ''Lomasuchus palpebrosus''. Gasparini, Z., Chiappe, L. ...
''.
Lomasuchinae was defined in the same 2004 study as the most recent common ancestor of ''Lomasuchus'' and Mahajangasuchini and all of its descendants. Mahajangasuchini, also constructed in the study, was defined as the most recent common ancestor of ''
Mahajangasuchus
''Mahajangasuchus'' is an extinct genus of crocodyliform which had blunt, conical teeth. The type species, ''M. insignis'', lived during the Late Cretaceous; its fossils have been found in the Maevarano Formation in northern Madagascar. It was a ...
'' and ''
Uberabasuchus
''Uberabasuchus'' (" Uberaba crocodile")''Uberabasuchus'' at '' and all of its descendants. However, all more recent phylogenetic analyses placed ''Mahajangasuchus'' within its own family,
Mahajangasuchidae
Mahajangasuchidae is an extinct family of notosuchian crocodyliforms. It currently contains two genera, '' Mahajangasuchus'' and '' Kaprosuchus'', both of which lived during the Late Cretaceous in Gondwana. It is defined as the most inclusive cl ...
, along with the newly named ''
Kaprosuchus
''Kaprosuchus'' is an extinct genus of mahajangasuchid crocodyliform. It is known from a single nearly complete skull collected from the Upper Cretaceous Echkar Formation of Niger. The name means "boar crocodile" from the Greek , ''kapros'' ("bo ...
''.
Genera
The following list of genera follows Martinelli ''et al.'', 2012 unless otherwise noted.
*'' Antaeusuchus'' from the
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...
of
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
.
*''
Barcinosuchus
''Barcinosuchus'' (meaning " Cerro Barcino Formation's crocodile") is an extinct genus of carnivorous metasuchian from the early Cretaceous period. It is a peirosaurid which lived during the early Cretaceous period (Aptian to Albian stage) in w ...
'' from the
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous Epoch or Series and encompasses the time from 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ago), a ...
-
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous Epoch/Series. Its approximate time range is 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 100.5 ± 0.9 M ...
of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
*''
Bayomesasuchus
''Bayomesasuchus'' is an extinct genus of peirosaurid mesoeucrocodylian known from the early Late Cretaceous Cerro Lisandro Formation of Neuquén Province, western central Argentina. It contains a single species, ''Bayomesasuchus hernandezi''. Ev ...
'' from the Turonian - Cenomanian of Argentina.
*''
Barrosasuchus
''Barrosasuchus'' is a genus of peirosaurid notosuchian from the Santonian of Argentina and part of the extensive peirosaurid record of Late Cretaceous Patagonia. It contains one species, ''Barrosasuchus neuquenianus''. ''B. neuquenianus'' is know ...
Colhuehuapisuchus
''Colhuehuapisuchus'' is an extinct genus of peirosaurid notosuchian known from the Late Cretaceous Lago Colhué Huapí Formation in Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a ...
'' from the
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campanian s ...
- early Maastrichtian of Argentina.
*''
Gasparinisuchus
''Gasparinisuchus'' is an extinct genus of peirosaurid notosuchian known from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian to early Campanian stage) of Neuquén and Mendoza Provinces, western central Argentina. It contains a single species, ''Gasparinisuchus ...
'' from the
Santonian
The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 86.3 ± 0.7 mya (million years ago) and 83.6 ± 0.7 mya. The ...
- early Campanian of Argentina.
*''
Hamadasuchus
''Hamadasuchus'' is an extinct genus of sebecian Crocodylomorpha, crocodylomorph. Fossils have been found from the Kem Kem Formation outcropping in southeastern Morocco. These beds date back to the Albian and Cenomanian stages of the Late Cretace ...
'' from the Albian -
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...
of
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
.
*''
Kinesuchus
''Kinesuchus'' (meaning "one crocodile") is an extinct genus of crocodyliform peirosaurid from the Late Cretaceous Bajo de la Carpa Formation of Argentina. The type species, ''K. overoi'', was described in 2018 from the holotype MAU-Pv-CO-583, a ...
'' from the Santonian of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
*''
Lomasuchus
''Lomasuchus'' is an extinct genus of peirosaurid notosuchian known from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian stage) of Neuquén Province, western central Argentina. It contains a single species, ''Lomasuchus palpebrosus''. Gasparini, Z., Chiappe, L. ...
'' from the Santonian of Argentina.
*'' Montealtosuchus'' from the
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 93.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.8 ± 1 Ma (million years ago). The Turonian is preceded by t ...
- Santonian of Brazil.
*'' Patagosuchus'' from the
Coniacian
The Coniacian is an age or stage in the geologic timescale. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series and spans the time between 89.8 ± 1 Ma and 86.3 ± 0.7 Ma (million years ago). The Coniacian is preceded by t ...
of Argentina.
*''
Peirosaurus
''Peirosaurus'' is an extinct genus of peirosaurid crocodylomorph known from the Late Cretaceous period (late Maastrichtian stage) of Minas Gerais, southern Brazil. It contains a single species, ''Peirosaurus torminni''. It is the type genus of ...
'' from the late Maastrichtian of Brazil.
*''
Rukwasuchus
''Rukwasuchus'' is an extinct genus of peirosaurid mesoeucrocodylian known from the middle Cretaceous Galula Formation of southwestern Tanzania. It contains a single species, ''Rukwasuchus yajabalijekundu''.
Discovery
''Rukwasuchus'' is known fr ...
'' from the Cenomanian of
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
I. d. S. Carvalho, F. M. d. Vasconcellos, and S. A. S. Tavares. (2007). Montealtosuchus arrudacamposi, a new peirosaurid crocodile (Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Late Cretaceous Adamantina Formation of Brazil. Zootaxa 1607:35-46