Siamosuchus
Encyclopedia
Siamosuchus is a genus
of goniopholidid
mesoeucrocodylia
n. Its fossils have been recovered from the pre-Aptian
-age Lower Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation
of eastern Thailand
. It is known from a partial skull, most of the right half of the postcrania
l skeleton, and some bony scutes
. Siamosuchus was described by Lauprasert and colleagues in 2007. The type species
is S. phuphokensis. Siamosuchus may be closest to Europe
an species of Goniopholis
.
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 goniopholidid
Goniopholididae
Goniopholididae is an extinct family of moderate-sized semi-aquatic crocodyliforms similar to living crocodiles. They lived between the Early Jurassic and the Late Cretaceous.-Geographical distribution:...
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. Its fossils have been recovered from the pre-Aptian
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...
-age Lower Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation
Sao Khua Formation
The Sao Khua Formation is a middle member of the Khorat Group. It consists of an alteration of grayish-reddish brown siltstone and clay, and pale red to yellowish-gray, fine to medium-grained sandstone. Rare pale red to light gray conglomerates, containing carbonate pebbles, are also characteristic...
of eastern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It is known from a partial skull, most of the right half of the postcrania
Postcrania
Postcrania[p] in zoology and vertebrate paleontology refers to all or part of the skeleton apart from the skull. Frequently, fossil remains, e.g...
l skeleton, and some bony scutes
Osteoderm
Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodilians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and hupehsuchians...
. Siamosuchus was described by Lauprasert and colleagues in 2007. 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 S. phuphokensis. Siamosuchus may be closest to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an species of Goniopholis
Goniopholis
Goniopholis is an extinct genus of crocodyliform that lived in North America, Europe and Asia during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Being semi-aquatic it is very similar to modern crocodiles...
.