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Metriorhynchidae ✝

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Description

Metriorhynchidae is an extinct family of specialized, aquatic metriorhynchoid crocodyliforms from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous period (Bajocian - Valanginian stages, potentially as late as early Aptian) of Europe, North America and South America. The name Metriorhynchidae was coined by the Austrian zoologist Leopold Fitzinger in 1843. The group contains two subfamilies, the Metriorhynchinae and the Geosaurinae.

From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metriorhynchidae, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Source Data

Source	ID	Link
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ID (GBIF)	3238573	https://www.gbif.org/species/3238573
PaleoBioDB ID (PBDB)	38344	https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=38344

Rank

family

Taxonomy (GBIF)

Life : Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Crocodylia : Metriorhynchidae

Taxonomy (PBDB)

Life : Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Eosuchia : Metriorhynchidae

Taxonomic Status (GBIF)

accepted

Classification
(PBDB,GBIF)

Rank	Name	Author
-	Eukaryota
-	Opisthokonta	Cavalier-Smith 1987
kingdom	Animalia
-	Triploblastica	Lankester 1877
-	Nephrozoa	Jondelius et al. 2002
-	Deuterostomia	Grobben 1908
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1847
subphylum	Vertebrata	Lamarck 1801
superclass	Gnathostomata	Gegenbauer 1874
-	Osteichthyes
-	Sarcopterygii	Romer 1955
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha
-	Tetrapoda
-	Reptiliomorpha	Säve-Söderbergh 1934
-	Anthracosauria	Säve-Söderbergh 1934
-	Batrachosauria
-	Cotylosauria
-	Amniota	Haeckel 1866
-	Sauropsida	Huxley 1864
class	Reptilia	Laurenti 1768
subclass	Eureptilia
-	Romeriida	Gauthier et al. 1988
-	Diapsida
-	Eosuchia
-	Neodiapsida	Benton 1985
-	Sauria	Gauthier 1984
-	Archosauromorpha
-	Crocopoda	Ezcurra 2016
-	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
-	Eucrocopoda	Ezcurra 2016
-	Archosauria
-	Pseudosuchia
-	Suchia	Krebs 1974
-	Paracrocodylomorpha	Parrish 1993
-	Loricata
-	Crocodylomorpha
suborder	Crocodyliformes	Hay 1930
-	Mesoeucrocodylia	Whetstone and Whybrow 1983
-	Neosuchia	Clark 1988
suborder	Thalattosuchia	Fraas 1901
family	Metriorhynchidae	Fitzinger 1843

Scientific Name

Metriorhynchidae

Opinions (PBDB)

Name	Rank	Opinion	Evidence	Author
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Longirostres	stated with evidence	Zittel, 1890
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Crocodili	stated without evidence	Jaekel, 1911
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated with evidence	Kuhn, 1946
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Mesosuchia	stated without evidence	Huene, 1954
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Crocodilia	stated without evidence	Delair, 1958
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated with evidence	Kuhn, 1966
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Mesosuchia	implied	Carroll, 1988
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated without evidence	Hua et al., 2000
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Crocodyliformes	stated without evidence	Gasparini and Iturralde-Vinent, 2001
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Mesoeucrocodylia	stated without evidence	Pol and Norell, 2004
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated without evidence	Mueller-Töwe, 2005
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated with evidence	Gasparini et al., 2006
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Neosuchia	stated without evidence	Fiorelli and Calvo, 2008
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated without evidence	Araujo et al., 2008
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated with evidence	Jouve, 2009
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Metriorhynchoidea	stated with evidence	Young et al., 2010
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated with evidence	Parrilla-Bel et al., 2013
Metriorhynchidae	family	belongs to Thalattosuchia	stated without evidence	Foffa et al., 2018

Status (PBDB)

extinct

Taxon Size (PBDB)

First Recorded Appearance

174 - 168 Ma
Middle Jurassic

Last Recorded Appearance

122 - 112 Ma
Early/Lower Cretaceous

Environment

marine (based on Thalattosuchia)

Motility

actively mobile (based on Thalattosuchia)

Diet

carnivore (based on Thalattosuchia)

Taphonomy

hydroxylapatite (based on Thalattosuchia)

Primary Reference (PBDB)

R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metriorhynchidae

External Images

Fossil Distribution

Subtaxa

Name	Status	Fossil Occurrences	Oldest	Youngest
Geosaurinae ✝ subfamily	listed (PBDB)	69	170 Ma Middle Jurassic	122 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous
Metriorhynchinae ✝ subfamily	listed (PBDB)	24	165 Ma Middle Jurassic	140 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous
Capelliniosuchus ✝ genus	doubtful (GBIF) listed (PBDB)
Cricosaurus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	18	156 Ma Jurassic	140 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous
Dakosaurus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	31	164 Ma Middle Jurassic	122 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous
Enaliosuchus ✝ genus	doubtful (GBIF) listed (PBDB)
Geosaurus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	18	161 Ma Jurassic	136 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous
Gracilineustes ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	3	165 Ma Middle Jurassic	156 Ma Jurassic
Maledictosuchus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	1	165 Ma Middle Jurassic	165 Ma Middle Jurassic
Metriorhynchus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	35	174 Ma Middle Jurassic	151 Ma Late Jurassic
Neptunidraco ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	3	170 Ma Middle Jurassic	168 Ma Middle Jurassic
Neustosaurus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	1	140 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous	140 Ma Early/Lower Cretaceous
Pelagosaurus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	8	183 Ma Early Jurassic	183 Ma Early Jurassic
Purranisaurus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	1	151 Ma Late Jurassic	151 Ma Late Jurassic
Rhacheosaurus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	1	151 Ma Late Jurassic	151 Ma Late Jurassic
Suchodus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	1	165 Ma Middle Jurassic	165 Ma Middle Jurassic
Teleidosaurus ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	2	172 Ma Middle Jurassic	168 Ma Middle Jurassic
Torvoneustes ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	4	164 Ma Middle Jurassic	156 Ma Jurassic
Tyrannoneustes ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	6	165 Ma Middle Jurassic	165 Ma Middle Jurassic

Obsolete Names

Name	Source	Taxon Rank	Taxonomy
Ichthyosaurus torrei Torre & Cuervo, 1939	GBIF	species	Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Crocodylia : Metriorhynchidae : *Ichthyosaurus torrei*
Aggiosaurus nicaeensis (Ambayrac, 1913)	GBIF	species	Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Crocodylia : Metriorhynchidae : *Aggiosaurus nicaeensis*
Aggiosaurus Ambayrac, 1913	GBIF	genus	Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Crocodylia : Metriorhynchidae : *Aggiosaurus*
Megalosaurus nicaeensis (Ambayrac, 1913)	GBIF	species	Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Crocodylia : Metriorhynchidae : *Megalosaurus nicaeensis*

Synonymy List

Year	Name and Author
1843	Metriorhynchidae Fitzinger
1850	Geosauridae Bonaparte
1890	Metriorhynchidae Zittel p. 667
1911	Geosauridae Jaekel p. 164
1911	Metriorhynchidae Jaekel p. 164
1913	Aggiosaurus Ambayrac
1913	Aggiosaurus nicaeensis Ambayrac
1943	Megalosaurus nicaeensis Lapparent p. 20
1946	Metriorhynchidae Kuhn p. 64
1954	Metriorhynchidae Huene p. 54
1958	Metriorhynchidae Delair p. 60
1966	Metriorhynchidae Kuhn p. 86
1970	Megalosaurus nicaeensis Steel p. 35
1980	Metriorhynchidae Buffetaut
1982	Aggiosaurus Buffetaut p. 473
1988	Metriorhynchidae Carroll
2000	Metriorhynchidae Hua et al. p. 472

Year	Name and Author
2001	Metriorhynchidae Gasparini and Iturralde-Vinent
2004	Metriorhynchidae Pol and Norell
2005	Metriorhynchidae Mueller-Töwe
2006	Metriorhynchidae Gasparini et al. p. 72
2007	Aggiosaurus nicaeensis Naish and Martill p. 502
2008	Metriorhynchidae Araujo et al. p. 20
2008	Metriorhynchidae Buchy
2008	Metriorhynchidae Fiorelli and Calvo
2009	Metriorhynchidae Jouve
2010	Metriorhynchidae Young et al. p. 845
2011	Metriorhynchidae Cau and Fanti p. 558 fig. 6
2013	Metriorhynchidae Parrilla-Bel et al. p. 3
2013	Metriorhynchidae Young fig. 6
2013	Metriorhynchidae Young et al.
2018	Metriorhynchidae Barrientos-Lara et al.
2018	Metriorhynchidae Foffa et al.
2019	Metriorhynchidae Sachs et al.

References

Carroll R. L. (1988) , Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, 1-698

Bonaparte C.-L. , Conspectus Systematum Herpetologiae et Amphibiologiae. Editio Altera Reformata [Survey of the systems of reptiles and amphibians. Second revised edition]. E. J. Brill, Leyden, 1

Zittel K. A. v. , Handbuch der Palaeontologie. I. Abteilung Paleozoologie. III. Band. Vertebrata (Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves) [Handbook of Paleontology. Division I. Paleozoology. Volume III. Vertebrata (Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves)], xii-900

Jaekel O. (1911) , Die Wirbeltiere. Eine Übersicht über die Fossilen und Lebenden Formen [The Vertebrates. An Overview of the Fossil and Living Forms], viii-252

Kuhn O. (1946) Das System der fossilen und rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien [The system of fossil and recent amphibians and reptiles], Bericht der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Bamberg 29, 49-67

Huene F. v. (1954) , Die Saurierwelt und ihre Geschichtlichen Zusammenhänge [The World of Reptiles and the History of Their Interrelationships]. 2nd, revised edition, 1-66

Delair J. B. (1958) The Mesozoic reptiles of Dorset. Part one, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society 79, 47-72

Kuhn O. W. M. (1966) , Die Reptilien. System und Stammesgeschichte [The Reptiles. Systematics and Phylogeny.], 1-154

Steel R. (1970) Part 14. Saurischia, Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie/Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1-87

Buffetaut E. (1982) Aggiosaurus nicaeensis Ambayrac, 1913, from the Upper Jurassic of south-eastern France: a marine crocodilian, not a dinosaur, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Monatshefte 1982 8, 469-475

Hua S., Vignaud P., et al (2000) Enaliosuchus macrospondylus Koken, 1883 (Crocodylia, Metriorhynchidae) du Valanginien de Barret-le-Bas (Hautes Alpes, France): un cas unique de remontée des narines externes parmi les crocodiliens, Geobíos 33 4, 467-474

Gasparini Z., Iturralde-Vinent M. (2001) Metriorhynchid crcodiles (Crocodyliformes) from the Oxfordian of Western Cuba, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Monatshefte 9, 534-542

Pol D., Norell M. A. (2004) A New Crocodyliform from Zos Canyon, Mongolia, American Museum Novitates 3445, 1-36

Gasparini Z., Pol D., et al (2006) An unusual marine crocodyliform from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary of Patagonia, Science 311, 70-73

Naish D., Martill D. M. (2007) Dinosaurs of Great Britain and the role of the Geological Society of London in their discovery: basal Dinosauria and Saurischia, Journal of the Geological Society, London 164, 493-510

Araujo R., Smith A. S., et al (2008) Alfred Leeds fossil vertebrate collection of the National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, Irish Journal of Earth Sciences 26, 17-32

Buchy M.-C. (2008) Reevaluation of the holotype of Plesiosaurus (Polyptychodon) mexicanus, Wieland, 1910 from the Upper Jurassic of Mexico: a thalattosuchian, not a sauropterygian, Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas 25 3, 517-522

Fiorelli L., Calvo J. O. (2008) New remains of Notosuchus terrestris Woodward, 1896 (Crocodyliformes: Mesoeucrocodylia) from Late Cretaceous of Neuquen, Patagonia, Argentina, Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 66 1, 83-124

Jouve S. (2009) The skull of Teleosaurus cadomensis (Crocodylomorpha; Thalattosuchia), and phylogenetic analysis of Thalattosuchia, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29 1, 88-102

Young M. T., Brusatte S. L., et al (2010) The evolution of Metriorhynchoidea (Mesoeucrocodylia, Thalattosuchia): an integrated approach using geometric morphometrics, analysis of disparity, and biomechanics, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 158 4, 801-859 doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00571.x

Cau A., Fanti F. (2011) The oldest known metriorhynchid crocodylian from the Middle Jurassic of North-eastern Italy: Neptunidraco ammoniticus gen. et sp. nov., Gondwana Research 19, 550-565

Parrilla-Bel J., Young M. T., et al (2013) The first metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the Middle Jurassic of Spain, with implications for evolution of the subclade Rhacheosaurini, PLoS ONE 8 1, e54275 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054275

Young M. T. (2013) Filling the ‘Corallian Gap’: re-description of a metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the Oxfordian (Late Jurassic) of Headington, England, Historical Biology doi:10.1080/08912963.2012.760559

Young M. T., de Andrade M. B., et al (2013) A new metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the Lower Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Late Jurassic of England), with implications for the evolution of dermatocranium ornamentation in Geosaurini, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 169, 820-848

Foffa D., Young M. T., et al (2018) A new metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic) of England, with implications for the origin and diversification of Geosaurini, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology doi:10.1080/14772019.2017.1367730

Benton, M.J. (ed). (1993). The Fossil Record 2. Chapman & Hall, London, 845 pp. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

SN2000: Brands, S. J. (compiler) 1989-2005. Systema Naturae 2000. Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2006 version). Available online at http://sn2000.taxonomy.nl/. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

as per included genera - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!

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