Eremosuchus
Encyclopedia
Eremosuchus is an extinct genus
of sebecosuchia
n mesoeucrocodylia
n. Fossil
s have been found from El Kohol, Algeria
of Eocene
age. It had serrated, ziphodont teeth.
The genus was originally referred to the family
Trematochampsidae
in 1989. A close relation to the baurusuchids
was also considered. However, it was only tentatively assigned to this family on the basis of a few features of the cranial skeleton. Some features, such as a broad concave symphysis
and laterally compressed teeth, are not restricted to the trematochampsids and occur in some sebecosuchians such as Baurusuchus
and Sebecus
. Other features such as the surangular forming part of the craniomandibular articulation can also be found in many basal
mesoeucrocodylians. A later phylogenetic
analysis placed Eremosuchus within the suborder Sebecosuchia. It is now thought to be one of many putatively assigned sebecosuchians that cannot be firmly placed within any one family. It is thought to be the closest relative of the genus Pehuenchesuchus
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of sebecosuchia
Sebecosuchia
Sebecosuchia is an extinct group of mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliforms that includes the families Sebecidae and Baurusuchidae. The group first appeared in the Late Cretaceous with the baurusuchids and went extinct in the Miocene with the last sebecids. Fossils have been found primarily from South...
n mesoeucrocodylia
Mesoeucrocodylia
Mesoeucrocodylia is the name of the clade that includes Eusuchia and the paraphyletic group Mesosuchia. The group appeared during the Early Jurassic, and continues to the present day....
n. Fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been found from El Kohol, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
of Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
age. It had serrated, ziphodont teeth.
The genus was originally referred to the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Trematochampsidae
Trematochampsidae
Trematochampsidae is an extinct family of mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorph. Fossils are present from Madagascar, Morocco, Niger, Argentina, and Brazil...
in 1989. A close relation to the baurusuchids
Baurusuchidae
Baurusuchidae is a Gondwanan family of mesoeucrocodylians that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It is a group of terrestrial hypercarnivorous crocodilians from South America and possibly Pakistan. Baurusuchidae has been defined as a clade containing the most recent common ancestor of Baurusuchus...
was also considered. However, it was only tentatively assigned to this family on the basis of a few features of the cranial skeleton. Some features, such as a broad concave symphysis
Symphysis
A symphysis is a fibrocartilaginous fusion between two bones. It is a type of cartilaginous joint, specifically a secondary cartilaginous joint.1.A symphysis is an amphiarthrosis, a slightly movable joint.2.A growing together of parts or structures...
and laterally compressed teeth, are not restricted to the trematochampsids and occur in some sebecosuchians such as Baurusuchus
Baurusuchus
Baurusuchus is an extinct genus of baurusuchid mesoeucrocodylian from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil. It was a terrestrial predator and scavenger, about 3.5 to 4 meters long. Baurusuchus lived during the Turonian to Santonian stages of the Late Cretaceous Period, in Adamantina Formation, Brazil...
and Sebecus
Sebecus
Sebecus is an extinct genus of sebecid crocodylomorph from the Eocene of South America. Fossils have been found in Patagonia. Like other sebecosuchians, it was entirely terrestrial and carnivorous. The genus is currently represented by a single species, the type S. icaeorhinus...
. Other features such as the surangular forming part of the craniomandibular articulation can also be found in many basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
mesoeucrocodylians. A later phylogenetic
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
analysis placed Eremosuchus within the suborder Sebecosuchia. It is now thought to be one of many putatively assigned sebecosuchians that cannot be firmly placed within any one family. It is thought to be the closest relative of the genus Pehuenchesuchus
Pehuenchesuchus
Pehuenchesuchus is an extinct genus of sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian. It was discovered in rocks of the late Turonian-Coniacian-age Upper Cretaceous Río Neuquén Formation Pehuenchesuchus (meaning "Pehuenche crocodile", after the Mapuche name for the region in which it was found) is an extinct...
.