Neosuchia

Neosuchia is a clade within Mesoeucrocodylia that includes all modern extant crocodilians and their closest fossil relatives.^[1] It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all crocodylomorphs more closely related to Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile Crocodile) than to Notosuchus terrestris.^[2] 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.^[3] 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,^[4] though this is disputed, and the taxon may lie outside Neosuchia, which places the earliest records of the group in the Middle Jurassic.^[3]

Neosuchia Temporal range: Early Jurassic - Recent, 196.5–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Crocodylus niloticus, a modern crocodylid
Sarcosuchus imperator, a pholidosaurid from North Africa in the Early Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Crocodylomorpha
Clade:	Metasuchia
Clade:	Neosuchia Benton & Clark, 1988
Subgroups
†Burkesuchus †Gilchristosuchus †Karatausuchus †Khoratosuchus †Montsecosuchus †Paluxysuchus †Stolokrosuchus? †Susisuchus †Tadzhikosuchus †Wahasuchus? †Atoposauridae †Bernissartiidae †Goniopholididae †Paralligatoridae †Stomatosuchidae †Tethysuchia †Thalattosuchia? Eusuchia (includes crocodylians)

Characteristics

Life restoration of Siamosuchus, a member of Goniopholididae

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.^[5]

Phylogeny

Below is a cladogram showing the phylogenetic relationships of neosuchians from Buscalioni et al., 2011:^[6]

Neosuchia

Theriosuchus Goniopholis Bernissartia fagesii Susisuchus anatoceps Las Hoyas neosuchian Eusuchia Isisfordia duncani Hylaeochampsidae Hylaeochampsa vectiana Iharkutosuchus Pietraroiasuchus ormezzanoi Pachycheilosuchus trinquei Allodaposuchus sp. Allodaposuchus precedens Crocodylia Borealosuchus sternbergii Borealosuchus formidabilis Borealosuchus wilsoni Borealosuchus acutidentatus Gavialoidea Eothoracosaurus mississippiensis Thoracosaurus macrorhynchus Thecachampsoides minor Eogavialis africanum Gavialis gangeticus Siquisiquesuchus venezuelensis Gryposuchus colombianus Brevirostres Pristichampsus Alligatoroidea Leidyosuchus canadensis Diplocynodon darwinii Baryphracta deponiae Brachychampsa montana Stangerochampsa mccabei Alligator mississippiensis Paleosuchus trigonatus Caiman yacare Caiman latirostris Melanosuchus niger Navajosuchus mooki Hassiacosuchus haupti Crocodyloidea Asiatosuchus germanicus Prodiplocynodon langi Crocodylus affinis Brachyuranochampsa eversolei Crocodylus acer Australosuchus clarkae Crocodylus megarhinus Crocodylus cataphractus Crocodylus porosus Osteolaemus tetraspis Crocodylus robustus Kentisuchus spenceri Gavialosuchus americanus Tomistoma schlegelii 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:^[7]

Neosuchia

Khoratosuchus jintasakuli Stolokrosuchus lapparenti Atoposauridae Pachycheilosuchus trinquei Montsecosuchus depereti Atoposaurus Alligatorellus beaumonti Alligatorium Sabresuchus symplesiodon Theriosuchus pusillus Theriosuchus guimarotae Goniopholididae Eutretauranosuchus delfsi Calsoyasuchus valliceps Sunosuchus miaoi Sunosuchus junggarensis Vectisuchus leptognathus Siamosuchus phuphokensis Goniopholis stovalli Goniopholis simus Amphicotylus lucasii Goniopholis crassidens Goniopholis baryglyphaeus Laganosuchus thaumastos Bernissartia fagesii Leidyosuchus canadensis Las Hoyas Neosuchia Glen Rose Form Shamosuchus djadochtaensis Rugosuchus nonganensis Susisuchus jaguaribensis Susisuchus anatoceps Eusuchia Isisfordia duncani Allodaposuchus precedens Iharkutosuchus makadii Hylaeochampsa vectiana Crocodylia Boverisuchus vorax Borealosuchus wilsoni Borealosuchus sternbergii Borealosuchus formidabilis Borealosuchus acutidentatus Elosuchus Pholidosaurus purbeckensis Pholidosaurus decipiens Terminonaris robusta Sarcosuchus imperator Sarcosuchus hartti Dyrosauridae Oceanosuchus boecensis Sokotosuchus ianwilsoni Chenanisuchus lateroculi Phosphatosaurus gavialoides Cerrejonisuchus improcerus Dyrosaurus phosphaticus Dyrosaurus maghribensis Arambourgisuchus khouribgaensis Hyposaurus rogersii Congosaurus bequaerti Guarinisuchus munizi Rhabdognathus sp. Atlantosuchus coupatezi Rhabdognathus keiniensis Rhabdognathus aslerensis Thalattosuchia Pelagosaurus typus Teleosauridae "Mystriosaurus" Platysuchus multiscrobiculatus Steneosaurus larteti Steneosaurus edwardsi Steneosaurus durobrivensis Steneosaurus boutilieri Steneosaurus bollensis Machimosaurus hugii Steneosaurus priscus Steneosaurus baroni Steneosaurus leedsi Steneosaurus heberti Steneosaurus gracilirostris Steneosaurus brevior Steneosaurus pictaviensis Peipehsuchus teleorhinus Teleosaurus cadomensis Steneosaurus megarhinus Metriorhynchoidea Teleidosaurus calvadosii Eoneustes bathonicus Eoneustes gaudryi Metriorhynchus sp. Chile Zoneait nargorum M. aff. M. brachyrhynchus Purranisaurus potens Purranisaurus casamiquelai Suchodus durobrivensis Suchodus brachyrhynchus Gracilineustes acutus Gracilineustes leedsi Metriorhynchus superciliosus Metriorhynchus geoffroyii Metriorhynchus sp. Metriorhynchus hastifer Dakosaurus sp. Mexico Plesiosuchus manselii Dakosaurus maximus Dakosaurus andiniensis Neptunidraco ammoniticus Torvoneustes carpenteri Geosaurus lapparenti Geosaurus grandis Geosaurus giganteus Metriorhynchus indet. Rhacheosaurus gracilis Geosaurus sp. Cuba Cricosaurus saltillense Cricosaurus elegans Cricosaurus suevicus Cricosaurus gracilis Cricosaurus vignaudi Cricosaurus araucanensis Cricosaurus schroederi Cricosaurus macrospondylus