Penghusuchus
Encyclopedia
Penghusuchus is an extinct genus
of tomistomine
gavialid
crocodilia
n. It is known from a skeleton found in Upper Miocene rocks of Penghu Island, off of Taiwan
. It appears to be related to two other fossil Asian tomistomines: Tomistoma petrolica of southeastern China
and Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis
of Japan
. The taxon
was described in 2009 by Shan and colleagues; the type species
is P. pani.
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 tomistomine
Tomistominae
Tomistominae is a subfamily of crocodylians that includes one living species, the False gharial. Many more extinct species are known, extending the range of the subfamily back to the Eocene epoch...
gavialid
Gavialidae
Gavialidae is a family of reptiles within the order Crocodilia. Gavialidae consists of only one surviving species, the gharial , which is native to India. Many extinct species are also known...
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...
n. It is known from a skeleton found in Upper Miocene rocks of Penghu Island, off of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. It appears to be related to two other fossil Asian tomistomines: Tomistoma petrolica of southeastern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis
Toyotamaphimeia
Toyotamaphimeia is an extinct genus of tomistomine from the Pleistocene of Japan closely related to the false gharial, which lived 400.000 years ago. This relationship is reflected in the fact that it was originally described as a member of the same genus, Tomistoma....
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
was described in 2009 by Shan and colleagues; the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is P. pani.