Gobiosuchidae is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

crocodyliforms Crocodyliformes is a clade of crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the only pseudo ...

known from

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Genera

Three genera are currently classified within Gobiosuchidae: ''

Cassissuchus ''Cassissuchus'' is an extinct genus of gobiosuchid crocodyliform known from the Early Cretaceous Calizas de La Huérgina Formation in Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe wi ...

'', '' Gobiosuchus'', and '' Zaraasuchus''.Ángela D. Buscalioni (2017) The Gobiosuchidae in the early evolution of Crocodyliformes. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Article: e1324459 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2017.1324459 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2017.1324459

Synapomorphies

According to Pol & Norell (2004), gobiosuchids form a

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

united by the following

synapomorphies In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to ...

: * Parietal without broad occipital portion * Absence of external mandibular fenestra * More than two parallel rows of dorsal

osteoderm Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates, or other structures based in the dermis. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles and amphibians, including lizards, crocodilians, frogs, temnospondyls (extinct amph ...

s * Cranial table as wide as ventral portion of skull *

Palpebral An eyelid ( ) is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid, exposing the cornea to the outside, giving vision. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily. "Palpebral" ...

s sutured to each other and the frontal, excluding it from the orbital margin * External surface of ascending process of

jugal The jugal is a skull bone found in most reptiles, amphibians and birds. In mammals, the jugal is often called the malar or zygomatic. It is connected to the quadratojugal and maxilla, as well as other bones, which may vary by species. Anatomy ...

exposed posterolaterally * Longitudinal ridge on lateral surface of jugal below infratemporal fenestra * Dorsal surface of posterolateral process of

squamosal The squamosal is a skull bone found in most reptiles, amphibians, and birds. In fishes, it is also called the pterotic bone. In most tetrapods, the squamosal and quadratojugal bones form the cheek series of the skull. The bone forms an ancestra ...

ornamented with three longitudinal ridges * Presence of a sharp ridge along ventral surface of angular *

Surangular The surangular or suprangular is a jaw bone found in most land vertebrates, except mammals. Usually in the back of the jaw, on the upper edge, it is connected to all other jaw bones: dentary, angular bone, angular, splenial and articular. It is o ...

with a longitudinal ridge on its dorsolateral surface * Dorsal surface of osteoderms ornamented with anterolaterally and anteromedially directed ridges * Cervical region surrounded by lateral and ventral osteoderms sutured to the dorsal elements * Presence of appendicular osteoderms * Closed, or incipiently close, supratemporal fenestra

Sources

* Pol, D. & Norell, M. A., (2004). "A new gobiosuchid crocodyliform taxon from the Cretaceous of Mongolia". ''American Museum Novitates'' 3458: 1-31.

References

{{Authority control Crocodyliformes Early Cretaceous crocodylomorphs Late Cretaceous crocodylomorphs Terrestrial crocodylomorphs Early Cretaceous first appearances Late Cretaceous extinctions Pseudosuchian families