Suchia

Suchians Temporal range: Early Triassic - Recent, 249.7–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Prestosuchus chiniquensis, an early suchian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Suchia Krebs, 1974
Subgroups
†Gracilisuchidae †Revueltosaurus †Aetosauria †Ticinosuchus Paracrocodylomorpha

Suchia is a clade of archosaurs that includes all pseudosuchians except for the ornithosuchids. It includes crocodilians and their extinct relatives. It was defined as the least inclusive clade containing Aetosaurus ferratus, Rauisuchus tiradentes, Prestosuchus chiniquensis, Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum, and Crocodylus niloticus (the living Nile crocodile) by Nesbitt (2011).

Classification

It was originally defined by Krebs in 1974. Paul Sereno provided a different definition, which included Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum, Aetosauria, Rauisuchia, Poposauridae, Crocodylomorpha, and all descendants of their common ancestor. Nesbitt (2011) redefined it as the least inclusive clade containing Aetosaurus ferratus, Rauisuchus tiradentes, Prestosuchus chiniquensis, and Crocodylus niloticus (the living Nile crocodile). Suchia, therefore, is a node-based taxon. It includes crocodylomorphs and more basal Triassic forms like aetosaurs and rauisuchians.^[1] Butler et al. (2011) found that Suchia includes Gracilisuchus, Turfanosuchus, Revueltosaurus, Aetosauria, Ticinosuchus, and paracrocodylomorphs.^[2]

Phylogeny

Below is the cladogram originally identified by Krebs (1974) in his definition of Suchia:^[1]

Suchia	Aetosaurus ferratus Paracrocodylomorpha Poposauroidea Poposaurus gracilis Shuvosauridae Sillosuchus longicervix Shuvosaurus inexpectatus Loricata Rauisuchidae Rauisuchus tiradentes Crocodylomorpha Crocodylus niloticus

Below is a phylogenetic cladogram by Butler et al. in 2011 showing the cladistics of Archosauriformes, focusing mostly on Pseudosuchia:^[2] Clade names follow Nesbitt 2011.^[1]

	Mesosuchus
	Prolacerta Archosauriformes Proterosuchus Erythrosuchus Vancleavea Proterochampsia Tropidosuchus Chanaresuchus Euparkeria Phytosauria Parasuchus Smilosuchus Pseudopalatus Archosauria Pseudosuchia Ornithosuchidae Riojasuchus Ornithosuchus Suchia Gracilisuchus Turfanosuchus Revueltosaurus Aetosauria Aetosaurus Stagonolepis Longosuchus Ticinosuchus Paracrocodylomorpha Poposauroidea Qianosuchus Ctenosauriscidae Arizonasaurus Xilousuchus Hypselorhachis Ctenosauriscus Waldhaus Taxon Poposaurus gracilis H Poposaurus gracilis Y Lotosaurus Shuvosauridae Sillosuchus Shuvosaurus Effigia Loricata Prestosuchus Saurosuchus Batrachotomus Fasolasuchus Rauisuchidae Rauisuchus Polonosuchus silesiacus Postosuchus alisonae Postosuchus kirkpatricki Crocodylomorpha CM 73372 Hesperosuchus agilis Hesperosuchus "agilis" Dromicosuchus Alligator Avemetatarsalia

References

1. Nesbitt, S.J. (2011). "The Early Evolution of Archosaurs: Relationships and the Origin of Major Clades". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 352: 189. doi:10.1206/352.1. ISSN 0003-0090.
2. Butler, R.J.; Brusatte, S.J.; Reich, M.; Nesbitt, S.J.; Schoch, R.R.; Hornung, J.J. (2011). Andrew A. Farke, ed. "The Sail-Backed Reptile Ctenosauriscus from the Latest Early Triassic of Germany and the Timing and Biogeography of the Early Archosaur Radiation". PLoS ONE 6 (10): e25693. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025693. PMC 3194824. PMID 22022431.

External links

• Suchia in the Paleobiology Database