Phytosauridae
| Description | Phytosaurs are an extinct group of large, mostly semiaquatic Late Triassic archosauriform reptiles. Phytosaurs belong to the family Phytosauridae and the order Phytosauria. Phytosauria and Phytosauridae are often considered to be equivalent groupings containing the same species, but some studies have identified non-phytosaurid phytosaurians. Phytosaurs were long-snouted and heavily armoured, bearing a remarkable resemblance to modern crocodilians in size, appearance, and lifestyle, as an example of convergence or parallel evolution. The name "phytosaur" means "plant reptile", as the first fossils of phytosaurs were mistakenly thought to belong to plant eaters. The name is misleading because the sharp teeth in phytosaur jaws clearly show that they were predators. From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytosauridae, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. | |||||||
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| Source Data |
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| Rank | family | |||||||
| Taxonomy (GBIF) | Life : Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Phytosauridae | |||||||
| Taxonomic Status (GBIF) | accepted | |||||||
| Classification (GBIF) |
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| Scientific Name | Phytosauridae | |||||||
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytosauridae |
Subtaxa
| Name | Status | Common Name(s) | Fossil Occurrences | Oldest | Youngest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Apatopus βgenus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 21 | 237 Ma Middle Triassic | 209 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | |
| Belodon genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Machaeroprosopus β genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 52 | 237 Ma Middle Triassic | 209 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | |
| Mystriosuchus β genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 12 | 228 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | 201 Ma Early Jurassic | |
| Nicrosaurus β genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 12 | 228 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | 216 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | |
| Paleorhinus genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Pravusuchus β genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 228 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | 228 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | |
| Pseudopalatus genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Rutiodon β genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 19 | 237 Ma Middle Triassic | 228 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | |
Obsolete Names
| Name | Source | Taxon Rank | Taxonomy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mystriosuchidae | GBIF | family | Animalia : Chordata : Reptilia : Mystriosuchidae |
References
| Benton, M.J. (ed). (1993). The Fossil Record 2. Chapman & Hall, London, 845 pp. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera |
| Gozzi & Renesto, 2003 - 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 |
