Portugalosuchus Temporal range:
Late Cretaceous:
Cenomanian,
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Archosauria |
Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
Clade: | Crocodylomorpha |
Clade: | Crocodyliformes |
Clade: | Eusuchia |
Genus: | †
Portugalosuchus Mateus et al., 2018 |
Species | |
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Portugalosuchus (meaning "crocodile from Portugal") is an extinct genus of eusuchian crocodyliform that was possibly a basal crocodylian – if so then it would be the oldest known crocodylian to date. [2] The type species is P. azenhae, described in 2018, [2] and it is known from the Late Cretaceous ( Cenomanian)-aged Tentugal Formation in Portugal. [3] A 2021 morphological study recovered Portugalosuchus within Crocodylia as a member of Gavialidae closely related to similar "thoracosaurs" (e.g. Thoracosaurus), while also noting that it might also possibly be outside of Crocodylia completely. [1] A 2022 tip dating analysis incorporating both morphological and DNA data placed Portugalosuchus outside of Crocodylia, as the sister taxon of the family Allodaposuchidae. A cladogram simplified after that analysis is shown below: [4]
Eusuchia |
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