''Heterodontosuchus'' is a dubious

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 ...

of extinct phytosaur. The genus was first described from a fragmentary anterior section of the mandible found from the Henry Mountains in southeastern

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, USA. More fossils were later found from

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. The name ''Heterodontosuchus'' refers to the difference in size between anterior and posterior teeth on this mandible. The teeth were compressed antero-posteriorly spaced closely together.Lees, J. H. (1907). The skull of ''Paleorhinus'', a Wyoming phytosaur. ''Journal of Geology'' 15:121-151. The genus is now thought to be

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with ''

Nicrosaurus ''Nicrosaurus'' (/nɛkroʊˈsɔrəs/) is an extinct genus of phytosaur reptile existing during the Late Triassic period. Although it looked like a crocodile (and probably lived like the more terrestrial crocodylomorphs), it was not closely rela ...

'', and the type and only

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, ''H. ganei'', is regarded as a ''nomen dubium'' due to the fragmentary nature of the remains associated with it.

References

Phytosaurs Prehistoric reptile genera Late Triassic reptiles of North America Triassic Arizona Paleontology in Arizona Triassic Utah Paleontology in Utah Fossil taxa described in 1898 Taxa named by Frederic Augustus Lucas {{Triassic-reptile-stub