Paracrocodylomorpha

Paracrocodylomorphs
Temporal range:
Early Triassic – Holocene, 247–0 Ma
Poposaurus gracilis, a poposauroid
Crocodylus niloticus, a loricatan
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Pseudosuchia
Clade: Suchia
Clade: Paracrocodylomorpha
Parrish, 1993[1]
Subtaxa

Paracrocodylomorpha is a clade of pseudosuchian archosaurs. The clade includes the diverse and unusual group Poposauroidea as well as the generally carnivorous and quadrupedal members of Loricata, including modern crocodylians. Paracrocodylomorpha was named by paleontologist J. Michael Parrish in 1993,[1] although the group is now considered to encompass more reptiles than his original definition intended. The most recent definition of Paracrocodylomorpha, as defined by Sterling Nesbitt in 2011, is "the least inclusive clade containing Poposaurus and Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile crocodile).[3] Most groups of paracrocodylomorphs became extinct at the end of the Triassic period, with the exception of the crocodylomorphs, from which crocodylians such as crocodiles and alligators evolved in the latter part of the Mesozoic.

  1. ^ a b Parrish, J. Michael (1993). "Phylogeny of the Crocodylotarsi, with reference to archosaurian and crurotarsan monophyly". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 13 (3): 287–308. Bibcode:1993JVPal..13..287P. doi:10.1080/02724634.1993.10011511. JSTOR 4523513.
  2. ^ Smith, Nathan D.; Klein, Nicole; Sander, P. Martin; Schmitz, Lars (July 2024). "A new pseudosuchian from the Favret Formation of Nevada reveals that archosauriforms occupied coastal regions globally during the Middle Triassic". Biology Letters. 20 (7). 20240136. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2024.0136. ISSN 1744-957X. PMC 11286145. PMID 38982977.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nesbitt11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).