Machimosauridae Temporal range:
Early Jurassic-
Early Cretaceous,
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Macrospondylus bollensis | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Archosauria |
Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
Clade: | Crocodylomorpha |
Clade: | Crocodyliformes |
Suborder: | † Thalattosuchia |
Superfamily: | † Teleosauroidea |
Family: | †
Machimosauridae Jouve et al., 2016 |
Subgroups | |
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Machimosauridae is an extinct family of teleosauroid thalattosuchian crocodyliforms. [1] The family was first identified in 2016, [2] when fossils of teleosauroid thalattosuchians, including an indeterminate close relative of Lemmysuchus and Machimosaurus, were described from the Middle Jurassic ( Bathonian) of Morocco. [2] The family was largely expanded in 2020 when the systematics of Teleosauroidea were re-reviewed. [1] Members of this family generally were larger than the teleosaurids. [1]
Machimosauridae is a diverse group of teleosauroids, phylogenetically defined as "the largest clade within Teleosauroidea containing Machimosaurus hugii, but not Plagiophthalmosuchus gracilirostris and Teleosaurus cadomensis." [1] The members of the Machimosauridae share several unique characters among teleosauroids, which are: [1]
The phylogenetic relationships of the Machimosauridae were analyzed in a comprehensive analysis of teleosauroid relationships. The results of the analysis are shown below: [1]
Machimosauridae |
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Machimosaurids grew in body size and diversified feeding strategies throughout their evolutionary history. Primitive machimosaurids, such as Macrospondylus and Charitomenosuchus, were longirostrine (long-snouted) generalists with body lengths less than 5 m (16 ft) long. [1] [3] Machimosaurines originated in the Bathonian stage of the Middle Jurassic and simultaneously underwent a decrease in snout length but an increase in body size with Neosteneosaurus reaching up to 6.6 m (22 ft) long. [1] [3] Machimosaurins were the largest teleosauroids, with body lengths up to 7.1 m (23 ft) (Machimosaurus rex), and were durophagous hunters, meaning they fed on hard prey. [1] [3]