Mystriosuchus

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Mystriosuchus
Temporal range: Upper Triassic
250px
Skull of M. planirostris
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Phytosauria
Family: Phytosauridae
Subfamily: Pseudopalatinae
Genus: †Mystriosuchus
Fraas, 1896
Species
  • <templatestyles src="Noitalic/styles.css"/>M. planirostris (von Meyer, 1863 [originally Belodon planirostris]) (type)
  • <templatestyles src="Noitalic/styles.css"/>M. westphali

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Mystriosuchus (meaning "spoon-crocodile")[1] is an extinct genus of phytosaur that lived in the Late Triassic (middle Norian) in Europe. It was first named by Eberhard Fraas in 1896, and includes two species: M. westphali (formerly M. plieningeri) and the type species, M. planirostris.[2]

Description

File:Mystriosuchus.jpg
Restoration from 1914

Mystriosuchus planirostris measured about four metres long (13 ft), according to a complete skeleton which was found in 1995.[3] The postcranial anatomy of the skeleton suggests that Mystriosuchus was more adapted to aquatic life than other known phytosaurs,[3] while cranial morphology is suggestive of a primarily fish eating diet.[2]

Classification

Mystriosuchus used to be placed in its own subfamily, Mystriosuchinae,[4][5] however, recent research demonstratred that it belongs to the subfamily Pseudopalatinae, despite having several physical differences from most of the genera in this group.[2] Originally considered to be a freshwater genus, a recent specimen from Northern Italy has shown that some Mystriosuchus specimens lived a completely marine life.[3]

Below is a cladogram from Stocker (2012):[6]

Phytosauria 

"Paleorhinus" scurriensis




Paleorhinus bransoni




"Paleorhinus" sawini


Phytosauridae

Brachysuchus megalodon



Angistorhinus




Rutiodon carolinensis



"Machaeroprosopus" zunii



Protome batalaria


Leptosuchomorpha

"Phytosaurus" doughtyi



TMM 31173-120




Leptosuchus crosbiensis



Leptosuchus studeri






Smilosuchus lithodendrorum




Smilosuchus adamanensis



Smilosuchus gregorii






Pravusuchus hortus


Pseudopalatinae

Pseudopalatus mccauleyi




Mystriosuchus westphali



Pseudopalatus pristinus













References

  1. dipbsf.uninsubria.it Mystriosuchus planirostris description Retrieved on May 25th, 2008.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hungerbühler, A. 2002. The Late Triassic phylosaur Mystriosuchus westphali, with a revision of the genus. Palaeontology 45(2): 377-418.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Gozzi, E. & Renesto, S.A. 2003. Complete specimen of Mystriosuchus (Reptilia, Phytosauria) from the Norian (Late Triassic) of Lombardy (Northern Italy). Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 109(3): 475-498.
  4. von Huene, F. 1915. On reptiles of the New Mexican Trias in the Cope Collection. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 34: 485-507.
  5. Long, R.A. & Murry, P.A. 1995. Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) tetrapods from the southwestern United States. Bulletin of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science 4 ‡254 pp.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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