Spinosuchus

Not to be confused with Spinosaurus.

Spinosuchus
Temporal range: Late Triassic, Carnian–Norian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: †Allokotosauria
Order: †Trilophosauria
Family: †Trilophosauridae
Genus: †Spinosuchus
von Huene, 1932
Species
  • †S. caseanus von Huene, 1932 (type)
Synonyms

Spinosuchus (meaning "spined crocodile") is an extinct genus of trilophosaurid allokotosaur from the Late Triassic of Texas, southern United States. It has been assigned to a variety of groups over its history, from coelophysid dinosaur to pseudosuchian to uncertain theropod dinosaur and to Proterosuchidae. This uncertainty is not unusual, given that it was only known from a poorly preserved, wall-mounted, partial vertebral column of an animal that lived in a time of diverse, poorly known reptile groups. However, newly collected material and recent phylogenetic studies of early archosauromorphs suggest that it represents an advanced trilophosaurid very closely related to Trilophosaurus.[1][2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference JASetal09 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference nesbitt2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).