Metriorhynchidae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Metriorhynchidae Metriorhynchidae Metriorhynchidae Fossil range: 170–136 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg and unlike living crocodilians, they lost their osteoderms ("armour scutes"). Their body shape maximised hydrodynamy (swimming efficiency), as did having a shark-like tail fin.[8] Metriorhynchids were the only group of archosaurs to become fully adapted to the marine realm, becoming pelagic in lifestyle.[9] The name Metriorhynchidae was coined by the Austrian zoologist Leopold Fitzinger in 1843.[1] Geographical distribution The family has a wide geographic distribution, with material found in Argentina, Chile, Cuba, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Russia and Switzerland.[9] N Bajocian - Valanginian Genera Metriorhynchus. Scientific classification Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Subclass: Infraclass: (unranked): Suborder: Family: Animalia Chordata Sauropsida Diapsida Archosauromorpha Mesoeucrocodylia Thalattosuchia Metriorhynchidae Fitzinger, 1843 [1] Genera • • • • • Dakosaurus von Quenstedt, 1856 [2] Geosaurus Cuvier, 1824 [3] Enaliosuchus Koken, 1883 [4] Metriorhynchus von Meyer, 1830 [5] Teleidosaurus Eudes-Deslongchamps, 1869 [6] The type genus for Metiorhynchidae is Metriorhynchus from the Middle to Late Jurassic.[9] Other genera included within this family are Teleidosaurus, Geosaurus, Dakosaurus and Enaliosuchus. Genera considered nomina dubia ("doubtful names") within this family are Aggiosaurus [10] and Neustosaurus.[11] The species classified as Purranisaurus and Suchodus are currently considered to belong within Metriorhynchus; if correct, this makes Purranisaurus and Suchodus junior synonyms of Metriorhynchus. Various palaeontologists have regarded the genus Cricosaurus as a junior synoynm of either Metriorhynchus, Geosaurus or Dakosaurus.[9] The genus Capelliniosuchus, was once thought to be a metriorhynchid similar to Dakosaurus.[12] However, Sirotti demonstrated that it is a junior synonym of Mosasaurus.[13] However, recent phylogenetic analyses cast doubt on the idea that many genera form a natural group (i.e. evolved from a common ancestor). The monophyly of Metriorhynchus,[14][15][16] Teleidosaurus,[15][17] Geosaurus,[15][16][17] and Dakosaurus[15] has been questioned. The monophyly of the poorly known genus Cricosaurus is also not supported, while Purranisaurus may be a distinct genus of metriorhynchid.[15] Genus Status Age Location Synonyms • Geosauridae Andrews, 1913 [7] Des Metriorhynchids were a clade of fully-aquatic crocodyliforms that lived in seas of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Their fore-legs were reduced and paddle-like, 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia • †Aggiosaurus Nomen dubium. Late Jurassic. Europe. • A†Suchodus poorly preserved marine • crocodile that was †Teleidosaurus originally mistaken for a new kind of megalosaurid dinosaur. Junior synonym. DakoValid. saurus. Metriorhynchidae — junio of Metri Middle Jurassic. Europe. See also • †Brachytaenius Junior synonym. Late Jurassic. Europe. • — junior synonym List of marine reptiles Geosaurus N/A N/A Misspelling of References [1] • †Capellineosuchus Lapsus calami. Capelliniosuchus ^ Fitzinger LJFJ. 1843. Systema Reptilium. Wien: • †Capelliniosuchus Misidentified N/A N/A Once thought to Seidel, 106 pp. Braumüller et Mosasaur. a metrio[2] beQuenstedt FA. 1856. Sonst und Jetzt: Populäre Vortäge rhynchid, now Tübingen: Laupp, 131. über Geologie. known toG. 1824. Sur les ossements fossiles de [3] Cuvier be a mosasaur. 5. In: Dufour & D’Occagne, eds. crocodiles, Recherches sur • †Cricosaurus Valid. Late Jurassic. Europe. Poorly known les ossements fossiles, 2nd édition. Paris: 143-160 genus of [4] Metriorhynchidae. reptilian der norddeutschen Koken E. 1883. Die unteren Kreide. Zeitschrift deutschen Geologischen • †Dacosaurus Lapsus — lapsus calami of Gesellschaft 35: 735-827. calami. Dakosaurus [5] Meyer H Von. 1830. Achte Versammlung der • †Dakosaurus Valid. Late JurasEurope, Naturforscher und Aerzte zu Heidelberg im sic-Early North September 1829. Isis von Oken, 1830: 517-519. Cretaceous. America [6] Eudes-Deslongchamps, E. 1869. Notice sur les and animaux fossiles de la famille des Téléosauriens South recueillis en Normandie. Mémoires Acad. Imp. Sci. et America. Arts et Belles-Lettres: 31-80. • †Enaliosuchus Valid. Early Europe.[7] Andrews CW. 1913. A descriptive catalogue of the marine reptiles of the Oxford Clay, Part Two. London: Cretaceous. British Museum (Natural History), 206 pp. • †Geosaurus Valid. Late JurasEurope, [8] Fraas E. 1902. Die Meer-Krocodilier sic-Early North (Thalattosuchia) des oberen Jura unter specieller Cretaceous. America Berücksichtigung von Dacosaurus und Geosaurus. and Paleontographica 49: 1-72. South [9] ^ Steel R. 1973. Crocodylia. Handbuch der America. Paläoherpetologie, Teil 16. Stuttgart: Gustav Fischer • †Halilimnosaurus Junior — Verlag,116 pp. junior synonym synonym. of Buffetaut E. 1982. Aggiosaurus nicaeensis Ambayrac, [10] Geosaurus • †Metiorychus Lapsus — 1913, from the Upper Jurassic of south-eastern lapsus calami of France: A marine crocodilian, not a dinosaur. Neues calami. Metriorhynchus Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte • †Metriorhynchus Valid. Middle-Late Europe (8): 469-475. Jurassic and [11] Buffetaut, E. 1982. Radiation évolutive, South paléoécologie et biogéographie des Crocodiliens America. mésosuchienes. Mémoires Societé Geologique de France • †Neustosaurus Nomen Early Europe. — 142: 1–88. possible junior Cretaceous. synonym of Dako- Intoro agli avanzi di dubium [12] Simonelli V. 1896. saurus or Geosaurus coccodrilliano scoperti a San Valentino (provincial • †Purranisaurus Junior — di Reggio Emilia) nel 1886. Atli della Reale Accademia junior synonym synonym. of dei Lincei, series Qunita Rendiconti 5 (2): 11-18. Metriorhynchus [13] Sirotti A. 1989. Mosasaurus hoffmanni Mantell, 1828 • †Rhacheosaurus Junior — junior synonym (Reptilia) nelle <> di S. Valentino synonym. of Geosaurus 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Reggio E.). Atti della società dei naturalisti e matematici di Modena 120: 135-146. [14] Gasparini Z, Pol D, Spalletti LA. 2006. An unusual marine crocodyliform from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary of Patagonia. Science 311: 70-73. [15] ^ Young MT. 2007. The evolution and interrelationships of Metriorhynchidae (Crocodyliformes, Thalattosuchia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27 (3): 170A. Metriorhynchidae [16] ^ Wilkinson LE, Young MT, Benton MJ. 2008. A new metriorhynchid crocodilian (Mesoeucrocodylia: Thalattosuchia) from the Kimmeridgian (Upper Jurassic) of Wiltshire, UK. Palaeontology 51 (6): 1307-1333. [17] ^ Mueller-Töwe IJ. 2005. Phylogenetic relationships of the Thalattosuchia. Zitteliana A45: 211–213. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metriorhynchidae" Categories: Jurassic crocodylomorpha, Cretaceous crocodylomorpha, Marine crocodiles This page was last modified on 17 April 2009, at 11:32 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers 3