Neosuchia Temporal range: Early Jurassic - Recent, 196.5–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Crocodylus niloticus, a modern crocodylid
Sarcosuchus imperator, a pholidosaurid from North Africa in the Early Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Crocodylomorpha
Clade:	Crocodyliformes
Clade:	Metasuchia
Clade:	Neosuchia
Subgroups
†Burkesuchus †Karatausuchus †Khoratosuchus †Montsecosuchus †Stolokrosuchus? †Wahasuchus? †Gilchristosuchus †Paluxysuchidae †Stomatosuchidae †Atoposauridae †Tethysuchia †Goniopholidae †Paralligatoridae †Bernissartiidae †Susisuchidae †Thalattosuchia? Eusuchia

Neosuchia is a clade within Mesoeucrocodylia that includes all modern extant crocodilians and their closest fossil relatives.^[1] It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing all crocodylomorphs more closely related to Crocodylus niloticus (the Nile Crocodile) than to Notosuchus terrestris.^[2] Members of Neosuchia generally share a crocodilian-like bodyform adapted to freshwater aquatic life, as opposed to the terrestrial habits of more basal crocodylomorph groups.^[3] The earliest neosuchian is suggested to be the Early Jurassic Calsoyasuchus, which lived during the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian stages in North America. It is often identified as a member of Goniopholididae,^[4] though this is disputed, and the taxon may lie outside Neosuchia, which places the earliest records of the group in the Middle Jurassic.^[3]

Characteristics

A tooth notch between the maxilla and premaxilla is a basal characteristic of the Neosuchia, although it is lost in some more derived forms, most notably alligatorids.

Classification

• Basal Neosuchia
  • Genus Burkesuchus?
  • Genus Deltasuchus
  • Genus Khoratosuchus
  • Genus Lisboasaurus
  • Genus Paluxysuchus
  • Genus Stolokrosuchus
  • Genus Wahasuchus?
  • Family Susisuchidae
  • Clade Coelognathosuchia
    • Family Goniopholididae
    • ?Family Pholidosauridae
  • Suborder Tethysuchia
    • Family Elosuchidae
    • Family Dyrosauridae
    • Family Pholidosauridae
  • Family Stomatosuchidae
  • Family Bernissartiidae
  • Genus Gilchristosuchus
  • Suborder Eusuchia

Phylogeny

Below is a cladogram showing the phylogenetic relationships of neosuchians from Buscalioni et al., 2011:^[5]