neosuchia

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = Early Jurassic - Recent, {{fossil range|196.5|0}}

| image = Nilecroc100.jpg

| image_caption = Crocodylus niloticus, a modern crocodylid

| image2 = Museum_of_Natural_History_Sarcosuchus.jpg

| image2_caption = Sarcosuchus imperator, a pholidosaurid from North Africa in the Early Cretaceous

| taxon = Neosuchia

| authority = Benton & Clark, 1988

| subdivision_ranks = Subgroups

| subdivision =

}}

Neosuchia is a clade within Mesoeucrocodylia that includes all modern extant crocodilians and their closest fossil relatives.{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=J. A. |last2=Malkani |first2=M. S. |last3=Gingerich |first3=P. D. |year=2001 |title=New crocodyliform (Reptilia, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Upper Cretaceous Pab Formation of Vitakri, Balochistan (Pakistan) |journal=Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan |volume=30 |issue=12 |pages=321–336 |url=http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48662/2/ID529.pdf |access-date=2009-11-02}} It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all crocodylomorphs more closely related to Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile Crocodile) than to Notosuchus terrestris.{{cite journal |last1=Larsson |first1=H. C. E. |last2=Sidor |first2=C. A. |author-link2=Cristian Sidor |last3=Gado |first3=B. |year=2001 |title=The giant crocodyliform Sarcosuchus from the Cretaceous of Africa |journal=Science |volume=294 |issue=5546 |pages=1516–1519 |url=http://iris.nyit.edu/nycom/Faculty/Profiles/Sidor/Sarcosuchus.pdf |access-date=2009-11-02 |doi=10.1126/science.1066521 |pmid=11679634 |last4=Gado |first4=B |s2cid=22956704 |archive-date=2012-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314191603/http://iris.nyit.edu/nycom/Faculty/Profiles/Sidor/Sarcosuchus.pdf |url-status=dead }} Members of Neosuchia generally share a crocodilian-like bodyform adapted to freshwater aquatic life, as opposed to the terrestrial habits of more basal crocodylomorph groups.{{Cite journal|last1=Wilberg|first1=Eric W.|last2=Turner|first2=Alan H.|last3=Brochu|first3=Christopher A.|date=2019-01-24|title=Evolutionary structure and timing of major habitat shifts in Crocodylomorpha|url=|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=514|bibcode=2019NatSR...9..514W|doi=10.1038/s41598-018-36795-1|issn=2045-2322|pmc=6346023|pmid=30679529}} The earliest neosuchian is suggested to be the Early Jurassic Calsoyasuchus, which lived during the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian stages in North America. It is often identified as a member of Goniopholididae,{{cite journal |last1=Tykoski |first1=R. S. |last2=Rowe |first2=T. B. |last3=Ketcham |first3=R. A. |last4=Colbert |first4=M. W. |year=2002 |title=Calsoyasuchus valliceps, a new crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=593–611 |url=http://digimorph.org/specimens/Calsoyasuchusvalliceps/calsoyas.pdf |access-date=2009-11-02 |doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0593:CVANCF]2.0.CO;2}} though this is disputed, and the taxon may lie outside Neosuchia, which places the earliest records of the group in the Middle Jurassic.

Characteristics

File:Siamosuchus phuphokensis.png, a member of Goniopholididae|left]]

Members of Neosuchia have a wide diversity of skull shapes. Several groups convergently evolved elongate gharial-like skulls, which makes determining phylogenetic relationships of these taxa problematic.{{Cite journal |last=Groh |first=Sebastian S |last2=Upchurch |first2=Paul |last3=Barrett |first3=Paul M |last4=Day |first4=Julia J |date=2019-10-19 |title=The phylogenetic relationships of neosuchian crocodiles and their implications for the convergent evolution of the longirostrine condition |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz117/5601086 |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz117 |issn=0024-4082}}

Phylogeny

Below is a cladogram showing the phylogenetic relationships of neosuchians from Buscalioni et al., 2011:{{cite journal |last=Buscalioni |first=A.D. |author2=Piras, P. |author3=Vullo, R. |author4=Signore, M. |author5= Barbera, C. |year=2011 |title=Early eusuchia crocodylomorpha from the vertebrate-rich Plattenkalk of Pietraroia (Lower Albian, southern Apennines, Italy) |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=163 |pages=S199–S227 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00718.x |doi-access=free }}

{{clade| style=font-size:75%;line-height:85%

|label1=Neosuchia

|1={{clade

|1=Theriosuchus

|2={{clade

|1=Goniopholis

|2={{clade

|1=Bernissartia fagesii

|2={{clade

|1=Susisuchus anatoceps

|2={{clade

|1=Las Hoyas neosuchian

|label2=Eusuchia

|2={{clade

|1=Isisfordia duncani

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|label1=Hylaeochampsidae

|1={{clade

|1=Hylaeochampsa vectiana

|2={{clade

|1=Iharkutosuchus

|2={{clade

|1=Pietraroiasuchus ormezzanoi

|2=Pachycheilosuchus trinquei}} }} }}

|2={{clade

|1=Allodaposuchus sp.

|2=Allodaposuchus precedens}} }}

|label2=Crocodylia

|2=CROCODYLIA

}} }} }} }} }} }} }}

|targetA=CROCODYLIA

|subcladeA={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Borealosuchus sternbergii

|2={{clade

|1=Borealosuchus formidabilis

|2={{clade

|1=Borealosuchus wilsoni

|2=Borealosuchus acutidentatus}} }} }}

|label2=Gavialoidea

|2={{clade

|1=Eothoracosaurus mississippiensis

|2={{clade

|1=Thoracosaurus macrorhynchus

|2={{clade

|1=Thecachampsoides minor

|2={{clade

|1=Eogavialis africanum

|2={{clade

|1=Gavialis gangeticus

|2={{clade

|1=Siquisiquesuchus venezuelensis

|2=Gryposuchus colombianus}} }} }} }} }} }} }}

|label2=Brevirostres

|2={{clade

|1=Pristichampsus

|2={{clade

|label1=Alligatoroidea

|1={{clade

|1=Leidyosuchus canadensis

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Diplocynodon darwinii

|2=Baryphracta deponiae}}

|2={{clade

|1=Brachychampsa montana

|2={{clade

|1=Stangerochampsa mccabei

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Alligator mississippiensis

|2={{clade

|1=Paleosuchus trigonatus

|2={{clade

|1=Caiman yacare

|2={{clade

|1=Caiman latirostris

|2=Melanosuchus niger}} }} }} }}

|2={{clade

|1=Navajosuchus mooki

|2=Hassiacosuchus haupti}} }} }} }} }} }}

|label2=Crocodyloidea

|2={{clade

|1=Asiatosuchus germanicus

|2=Prodiplocynodon langi

|3={{clade

|1=Crocodylus affinis

|2={{clade

|1=Brachyuranochampsa eversolei

|2=Crocodylus acer

|3={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Australosuchus clarkae

|2={{clade

|1=Crocodylus megarhinus

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Crocodylus cataphractus

|2=Crocodylus porosus}}

|2={{clade

|1=Osteolaemus tetraspis

|2=Crocodylus robustus}} }} }} }}

|2={{clade

|1=Kentisuchus spenceri

|2={{clade

|1=Gavialosuchus americanus

|2={{clade

|1=Tomistoma schlegelii

|2=Tomistoma lusitanicum

}} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

In 2012, paleontologists Mario Bronzati, Felipe Chinaglia Montefeltro, and Max C. Langer conducted a broad phylogenetic analysis to produce supertrees of Crocodyliformes, including 184 species. The most parsimonious trees were highly resolved, meaning the phylogenetic relationships found in the analysis were highly likely. Below is a consensus tree from the study:{{Cite journal | last1 = Bronzati | first1 = M. | last2 = Montefeltro | first2 = F. C. | last3 = Langer | first3 = M. C. | title = A species-level supertree of Crocodyliformes | doi = 10.1080/08912963.2012.662680 | journal = Historical Biology | volume = 24 | issue = 6 | pages = 598–606 | year = 2012 | s2cid = 53412111 }}

{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:80%

|label1=Neosuchia

|1={{clade

|1=Khoratosuchus jintasakuli

|2=Stolokrosuchus lapparenti

|3={{clade

|label1=Atoposauridae

|1={{clade

|1=Pachycheilosuchus trinquei

|2=Montsecosuchus depereti

|3={{clade

|1=Atoposaurus