''Fugusuchus'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

archosauriform Archosauriformes (Greek for 'ruling lizards', and Latin for 'form') is a clade of diapsid reptiles that developed from archosauromorph ancestors some time in the Latest Permian (roughly 252 million years ago). It was defined by Jacques Gauthier ...

, probably the basal-most member of the family

Erythrosuchidae Erythrosuchidae (meaning "red crocodiles" in Greek) are a family of large basal archosauriform carnivores that lived from the later Early Triassic (Olenekian) to the early Middle Triassic (Anisian). Naming The family Erythrosuchidae was named b ...

. The genus is known from a single fossil from the middle

Early Triassic The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which is a un ...

Heshanggou Formation in

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The partial skeleton consists of an incomplete skull, parts of the right forelimb, and an intercentrum. The skeleton, known as GMB V 313, is currently in the

Geological Museum of China The Geological Museum of China (), built in 1916, is a geological museum, boasting 200 thousand specimens. This museum is located in the Xisi area of Beijing and opened on October 1, 1959. It is the earliest geological scientific museum of Chi ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. ''Fugusuchus'' was a medium-sized archosauriform. It has a long and relatively low skull, unlike the higher more pointed skulls of related genera such as ''

Erythrosuchus ''Erythrosuchus'' (from el, ἐρυθρός , 'red' and el, σοῦχος , 'crocodile') is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptile from the Triassic of South Africa. Remains have been found from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Beaufo ...

''. In ''Fugusuchus'', the tooth row of the upper jaw extends beneath the

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a p ...

, or eye socket. This feature distinguishes it from more advanced

erythrosuchids Erythrosuchidae (meaning "red crocodiles" in Greek) are a family of large basal archosauriform carnivores that lived from the later Early Triassic (Olenekian) to the early Middle Triassic (Anisian). Naming The family Erythrosuchidae was named b ...

such as ''

Garjainia ''Garjainia'' is an extinct genus of erythrosuchid archosauriform reptile from the Olenekian of Russia and South Africa. It was approximately 1.50–2 m (5–6 ft 8 in) long. It contained two species, ''Garjainia prima'' from the Yarengian/ ...

'' and ''Erythrosuchus,'' in which teeth are only present in front of the orbital area.

References

Erythrosuchids Early Triassic reptiles of Asia Fossil taxa described in 1980 Prehistoric reptile genera {{paleo-archosaur-stub