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
†Revueltosaurus †Ticinosuchus †Nundasuchus? †Erpetosuchidae †Gracilisuchidae †Aetosauria Paracrocodylomorpha †Poposauroidea Loricata

Suchia is a clade of archosaurs containing the majority of pseudosuchians. 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). Generally the only pseudosuchians which are excluded from the group are the ornithosuchids, although at least one analysis classifies ornithosuchids as close relatives of erpetosuchids (which are usually considered suchians) and aetosaurs (which are suchians by definition of the group).^[1]

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.^[2] Butler et al. (2011) found that Suchia includes Gracilisuchus, Turfanosuchus, Revueltosaurus, Aetosauria, Ticinosuchus, and paracrocodylomorphs.^[3]

References

External links

• Suchia in the Paleobiology Database