Loricata

Loricata
Temporal range: Olenekian - Recent, 247–0 Ma
Skeleton of Prestosuchus chiniquensis, an early loricatan.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Pseudosuchia
Clade: Paracrocodylomorpha
Clade: Loricata
Merrem, 1820
Subtaxa

Loricata is a clade of archosaur reptiles that includes crocodilians and some of their Triassic relatives, such as Postosuchus and Prestosuchus. More specifically, Loricata includes Crocodylomorpha (the persistent archosaur subset which crocodilians belong to) and most "rauisuchians", a paraphyletic grade of large terrestrial pseudosuchians which were alive in the Triassic period and ancestral to crocodylomorphs.[1]

Loricata is one branch of the group Paracrocodylomorpha; the other branch is the clade Poposauroidea, an unusual collection of strange "rauisuchians" including bipedal, herbivorous, and sail-backed forms. The vast majority of typical "rauisuchians", which were usually quadrupedal predators, occupy basal (early-branching) rungs of Loricata leading up to crocodylomorphs.[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NSJ11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).