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Archosauromorpha (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 for "ruling lizard forms") is an Infraclass of diapsid
Diapsid

Diapsids are a group of reptiles that developed two holes in each side of their skulls, about 300 million years ago during the late Carboniferous period....
 reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
s that first appeared during the late Permian
Permian

The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian system" after the ancient kingdom...
 and became more common during the Triassic
Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 to 199 annum . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic....
. Included in this infraclass are the orders Rhynchosaur
Rhynchosaur

Rhynchosaurs were a group of unusual Triassic diapsid reptiles related to the Archosauria. They were herbivores, and at times abundant , with stocky bodies and a powerful beak....
ia, Trilophosaur
Trilophosaur

Trilophosaurs were lizard-like Triassic diapsid reptiles related to the archosaurs. The best known genus is Trilophosaurus, a herbivore up to 2.5 meters long....
idae, Prolacertiformes
Prolacertiformes

Prolacertiformes were an order of archosauromorpha reptiles that lived during the Permian and Triassic Periods. Many species seem to have been adapted for an arboreal lifestyle, including the "delta-winged glider" Sharovipteryx, while others, such as Tanystropheus, had extremely long, stiffened necks , and may have been at least part...
, Archosauriformes
Archosauriformes

Archosauriformes are a clade of diapsid reptiles that developed from Archosauromorpha ancestors some time in the Late Permian . These reptiles, which include members of the Family Proterosuchidae and more advanced forms, were originally superficially crocodile-like predatory semi-aquatic animals about 1.5 meters long, with a sprawling elbow...
, and, tentatively, the Choristodera
Choristodera

Choristodera is an Order of semi-aquatic diapsid reptiles which ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Late Triassic, to at least the early Miocene....
. While superficially these reptiles vary in appearance (at one time they were even included in different subclasses-- the Trilophosaurs were considered Euryapsids, and the Rhynchosaurs were considered lepidosaurs and were included in the same order as the tuatara
Tuatara

The tuatara is a reptile endemism to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia....
), they are actually united by a number of small skeletal and skull-related details that suggest they form a clade
Cladistics

Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of species based on evolutionary ancestry. Cladistics is distinguished from other taxonomic systems because it focuses on evolution rather than similarities between species, and because it places heavy emphasis on objective, quantitative analysis....
 that descended from a single common ancestor.

Of the five taxa mentioned above, the first three died out at or prior to the end Triassic extinction
Triassic-Jurassic extinction event

The Triassic?Jurassic extinction event marks the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic periods, , and is one of the major extinction events of the Phanerozoic eon, profoundly affecting life on land and in the oceans....
.






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Archosauromorpha (Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 for "ruling lizard forms") is an Infraclass of diapsid
Diapsid

Diapsids are a group of reptiles that developed two holes in each side of their skulls, about 300 million years ago during the late Carboniferous period....
 reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
s that first appeared during the late Permian
Permian

The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian system" after the ancient kingdom...
 and became more common during the Triassic
Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 to 199 annum . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic....
. Included in this infraclass are the orders Rhynchosaur
Rhynchosaur

Rhynchosaurs were a group of unusual Triassic diapsid reptiles related to the Archosauria. They were herbivores, and at times abundant , with stocky bodies and a powerful beak....
ia, Trilophosaur
Trilophosaur

Trilophosaurs were lizard-like Triassic diapsid reptiles related to the archosaurs. The best known genus is Trilophosaurus, a herbivore up to 2.5 meters long....
idae, Prolacertiformes
Prolacertiformes

Prolacertiformes were an order of archosauromorpha reptiles that lived during the Permian and Triassic Periods. Many species seem to have been adapted for an arboreal lifestyle, including the "delta-winged glider" Sharovipteryx, while others, such as Tanystropheus, had extremely long, stiffened necks , and may have been at least part...
, Archosauriformes
Archosauriformes

Archosauriformes are a clade of diapsid reptiles that developed from Archosauromorpha ancestors some time in the Late Permian . These reptiles, which include members of the Family Proterosuchidae and more advanced forms, were originally superficially crocodile-like predatory semi-aquatic animals about 1.5 meters long, with a sprawling elbow...
, and, tentatively, the Choristodera
Choristodera

Choristodera is an Order of semi-aquatic diapsid reptiles which ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Late Triassic, to at least the early Miocene....
. While superficially these reptiles vary in appearance (at one time they were even included in different subclasses-- the Trilophosaurs were considered Euryapsids, and the Rhynchosaurs were considered lepidosaurs and were included in the same order as the tuatara
Tuatara

The tuatara is a reptile endemism to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia....
), they are actually united by a number of small skeletal and skull-related details that suggest they form a clade
Cladistics

Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of species based on evolutionary ancestry. Cladistics is distinguished from other taxonomic systems because it focuses on evolution rather than similarities between species, and because it places heavy emphasis on objective, quantitative analysis....
 that descended from a single common ancestor.

Of the five taxa mentioned above, the first three died out at or prior to the end Triassic extinction
Triassic-Jurassic extinction event

The Triassic?Jurassic extinction event marks the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic periods, , and is one of the major extinction events of the Phanerozoic eon, profoundly affecting life on land and in the oceans....
. The Choristoderans continued as a minor group until the Miocene
Miocene

The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....
, and the Archosauriformes were important factors in early Triassic environments before giving rise to the even more successful Archosaur
Archosaur

Archosaurs are a group of diapsid reptiles represented by modern birds and crocodilians. This group also includes extinct non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs and relatives of crocodiles....
ia.

Taxonomy


Classification

  • Subclass Diapsida
    • Infraclass ARCHOSAUROMORPHA
      • Family Euparkeriidae
        Euparkeriidae

        The Euparkeriidae are a family of small Basal archosauromorph carnivores which lived from the Early Triassic to the Middle Triassic . Their fossil remains are known so far from South Africa and Russia....
      • Family Erythrosuchidae
        Erythrosuchidae

        Erythrosuchidae are a family of large Basal archosauromorph carnivores that lived from the later Early Triassic to the early Middle Triassic ....
      • Family Proterochampsidae
        Proterochampsidae

        The Proterochampsidae, or proterochampsids, are a group of mysterious archosauromorphs named in 1966 by A.S. Romer in his book Vertebrate Paleontology, 3rd edition....
      • Family Proterosuchidae
        Proterosuchidae

        Proterosuchidae are an early, possibly paraphyletic, assemblage of Basal archosauriformes whose fossils are known from the Latest Permian of Russia and the Early Triassic of southern Africa, Russia, China, Australia, and Antarctica....
      • Order Choristodera
        Choristodera

        Choristodera is an Order of semi-aquatic diapsid reptiles which ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Late Triassic, to at least the early Miocene....
      • Order Prolacertiformes
        Prolacertiformes

        Prolacertiformes were an order of archosauromorpha reptiles that lived during the Permian and Triassic Periods. Many species seem to have been adapted for an arboreal lifestyle, including the "delta-winged glider" Sharovipteryx, while others, such as Tanystropheus, had extremely long, stiffened necks , and may have been at least part...
      • Order Rhynchosaur
        Rhynchosaur

        Rhynchosaurs were a group of unusual Triassic diapsid reptiles related to the Archosauria. They were herbivores, and at times abundant , with stocky bodies and a powerful beak....
        ia
      • Order Trilophosaur
        Trilophosaur

        Trilophosaurs were lizard-like Triassic diapsid reptiles related to the archosaurs. The best known genus is Trilophosaurus, a herbivore up to 2.5 meters long....
        ia
      • Division Archosaur
        Archosaur

        Archosaurs are a group of diapsid reptiles represented by modern birds and crocodilians. This group also includes extinct non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs and relatives of crocodiles....
        ia
        • Subdivision Crurotarsi
          Crurotarsi

          The Crurotarsi are a group of Archosauria, whose name was erected as a Cladistics#Cladistic classification by Paul Sereno in 1991 to supplant the old term Pseudosuchia....
          • Family Ornithosuchidae
            Ornithosuchidae

            Ornithosuchidae is an extinct family of quadrupedal and facultatively bipedal crurotarsan archosaurs. These carnivores were geographically widespread during the Late Triassic....
          • Order Aetosaur
            Aetosaur

            File:Aetosaur, PFNP.jpgThe aetosaurs are an extinct clade of heavily armoured, medium- to large-sized Late Triassic herbivore archosaurs. Two distinct subdivisions of aeotosaurs are currently recognized, the Desmatosuchinae and the Aetosaurinae, based primarily on differences in the morphology of the bony scutes of the two groups ....
            ia
          • Order Phytosaur
            Phytosaur

            Phytosaurs - family Phytosauridae or Parasuchidae - were a group of large semi-aquatic predatory archosaurs that flourished during the Late Triassic Geologic period....
            ia
          • Order Rauisuchia
            Rauisuchia

            Rauisuchia are a poorly known assemblage of predatory and mostly large Triassic archosaurs. Originally it was believed that they were related to Erythrosuchidae, but it is now known that they are Crurotarsi....
          • Superorder Crocodylomorpha
            Crocodylomorpha

            The Crocodylomorpha are an important group of archosaurs that include the crocodilians and their extinct relatives.During Mesozoic and early Tertiary times the Crocodylomorpha were far more diverse than they are now....
            • Order Crocodilia
              Crocodilia

              Crocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period . They are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria....
        • Subdivision Avemetatarsalia
          Avemetatarsalia

          Avemetatarsalia is a clade name established by British palaeontologist Michael J. Benton in 1999 for all avesuchians that are closer to dinosaurs than to crocodiles....
          • Order Pterosaur
            Pterosaur

            Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or Order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight....
            ia
          • Superorder Dinosaur
            Dinosaur

            Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrate animals of Landform ecosystems for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous Period , when most of them became extinct in the Cretaceous?Tertiary extinction event....
            ia
            • Order Ornithischia
              Ornithischia

              Ornithischia or Predentata is an extinct order of beaked, herbivore dinosaurs. The name ornithischia is derived from the Ancient Greek ornitheos meaning 'of a bird' and ischion meaning 'hip joint'....
            • Order Saurischia
              Saurischia

              Saurischia is one of the two Order s, or basic divisions, of dinosaurs. In 1888, Harry Seeley classified dinosaurs into two orders, based on their hip structure....


Phylogeny


Archosauromorpha |--+--Rhynchosauria | `--+-?Teraterpeton | `--Trilophosauria `--+--Prolacertiformes
Prolacertiformes

Prolacertiformes were an order of archosauromorpha reptiles that lived during the Permian and Triassic Periods. Many species seem to have been adapted for an arboreal lifestyle, including the "delta-winged glider" Sharovipteryx, while others, such as Tanystropheus, had extremely long, stiffened necks , and may have been at least part...
 `--Archosauriformes
Archosauriformes

Archosauriformes are a clade of diapsid reptiles that developed from Archosauromorpha ancestors some time in the Late Permian . These reptiles, which include members of the Family Proterosuchidae and more advanced forms, were originally superficially crocodile-like predatory semi-aquatic animals about 1.5 meters long, with a sprawling elbow...
 |-?Uatchitodon |--Proterosuchidae
Proterosuchidae

Proterosuchidae are an early, possibly paraphyletic, assemblage of Basal archosauriformes whose fossils are known from the Latest Permian of Russia and the Early Triassic of southern Africa, Russia, China, Australia, and Antarctica....
 `--+-?Erythrosuchidae
Erythrosuchidae

Erythrosuchidae are a family of large Basal archosauromorph carnivores that lived from the later Early Triassic to the early Middle Triassic ....
 `--+-?Heleosaurus `--+--Euparkeriidae
Euparkeriidae

The Euparkeriidae are a family of small Basal archosauromorph carnivores which lived from the Early Triassic to the Middle Triassic . Their fossil remains are known so far from South Africa and Russia....
 `--+--?Turfanosuchus
Turfanosuchus

Turfanosuchus is a genus of archosauriform reptile which lived during the Middle Triassic of northwestern China. The type species, T. dabanensis, was described by Yang Zhongjian in 1973, based on a partially complete but disarticulated fossil skeleton ....
 |--Proterochampsidae
Proterochampsidae

The Proterochampsidae, or proterochampsids, are a group of mysterious archosauromorphs named in 1966 by A.S. Romer in his book Vertebrate Paleontology, 3rd edition....
 `--+--Yonghesuchus `--Archosauria [Crown group Archosauria = Avesuchia] |--Crurotarsi
Crurotarsi

The Crurotarsi are a group of Archosauria, whose name was erected as a Cladistics#Cladistic classification by Paul Sereno in 1991 to supplant the old term Pseudosuchia....
 (crocodiles and relatives) `--Ornithodira
Ornithodira

Ornithodira is a clade within the larger group Archosauria.In 1986 Jacques Gauthier coined the name for a node clade, containing the last common ancestor of the dinosaurs and the pterosaurs and all of its descendants....
 (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and birds)

External links

  • - lists taxa