Tsylmosuchus

Tsylmosuchus
Temporal range: Early Triassic Induan–Olenekian
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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Family: †Proterosuchidae
Subfamily: †Chasmatosuchinae
Genus: †Tsylmosuchus
Sennikov, 1990
Species
  • T. jakovlevi Sennikov, 1990 (type)
  • T. samarensis Sennikov, 1990
  • T. donensis Sennikov, 1990
Synonyms[1]

Tsylmosuchus is an extinct genus of proterosuchid archosauriform reptile known from Western Russia. Fossils referred to Tsylmosuchus occurred over a wide area in sediments corresponding to the Induan and Olenekian stages of the Early Triassic. Most of these fossils are fragmentary neck vertebrae which were originally reported as sharing similarities with crocodile-line archosaurs (pseudosuchians) such as Mandasuchus. As a result, Tsylmosuchus was first described as part of the family Rauisuchidae, making it supposedly one of the oldest known archosaurs.[2][3][4] However, its fragmentary remains do not show any of the distinguishing features of rauisuchids or even pseudosuchians in general, so Tsylmosuchus has more recently been interpreted as an indeterminate archosauriform. Although three species of Tsylmosuchus have been named, they lack diagnostic traits and are probably not distinct from each other.[5] In 2023, Tsylmosuchus was reinterpreted as a proterosuchid, specifically a member of the subfamily Chasmatosuchinae.[6]

  1. ^ Sennikov AG (2022). "On pseudosuchians Tsylmosuchus donensis and Scythosuchus basileus from the Early Triassic of Eastern Europe". Paleontological Journal. 56 (1): 91–96. doi:10.1134/S0031030121060113. S2CID 248132677.
  2. ^ Sennikov, A.G. (1990). "New data on the rauisuchids of Eastern Europe". Paleontological Journal. 1990 (3): 3–16.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference GS03 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Borsuk−Białynicka, M.; Sennikov, A.G. (2009). "Archosauriform postcranial remains from the Early Triassic karst deposits of southern Poland" (PDF). Palaeontologica Polonica. 65: 283–328.
  5. ^ Sterling J. Nesbitt (2009). "The early evolution of archosaurs: Relationships and the origin of major clades". Columbia University (Open Access Dissertation): 1–632.
  6. ^ Ezcurra, Martín D.; Bandyopadhyay, Saswati; Sengupta, Dhurjati P.; Sen, Kasturi; Sennikov, Andrey G.; Sookias, Roland B.; Nesbitt, Sterling J.; Butler, Richard J. (25 October 2023). "A new archosauriform species from the Panchet Formation of India and the diversification of Proterosuchidae after the end-Permian mass extinction". Royal Society Open Science. 10 (10). doi:10.1098/rsos.230387. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 10598453. PMID 37885992.