Turfanosuchus

Turfanosuchus Temporal range: Anisian ~247.2–242 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Multiple views of the holotype skull of Turfanosuchus dabanensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Suchia
Family:	†Gracilisuchidae
Genus:	†Turfanosuchus Young, 1973
Species
†T. dabanensis Young, 1973 (type)

Turfanosuchus is a genus of archosauriform reptile, likely a gracilisuchid archosaur, which lived during the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of northwestern China. The type species, T. dabanensis, was described by C.C. Young in 1973, based on a partially complete but disarticulated fossil skeleton (IVPP V.32237) found in the Kelamayi Formation of the Turfan Basin.^[1]

Turfanosuchus had a peculiar combination of features which has made it difficult to classify in the past. It possessed teeth on the palate, and internal carotid arteries which entered the braincase from below. These two traits were rare among Archosauria (true, crown-group archosaurs) and are more similar to non-archosaurian archosauriforms like Euparkeria.^[2] On the other hand, the ankle was much more advanced than that of animals like Euparkeria, and some features of the skull have only been observed in true archosaurs, particularly early suchians (distant ancestors of modern crocodilians).^[3] Out of this group, Turfanosuchus shares the most similarities with Gracilisuchus and Yonghesuchus, and a 2014 study grouped these three genera in the family Gracilisuchidae. Gracilisuchidae lies within Pseudosuchia, which contains all archosaurs more closely related to crocodilians than to birds. Some skull features previously considered unique to Turfanosuchus are now considered to characterize Gracilisuchidae, but Turfanosuchus retains a few unique features of the jaw and cheek region.^[4]