Parotosuchus Temporal range:
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Skull impression of P. nasutus in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Order: | † Temnospondyli |
Suborder: | † Stereospondyli |
Clade: | † Capitosauria |
Family: | † Mastodonsauridae |
Genus: | †
Parotosuchus Otschev and Shishkin, 1968 |
Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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Parotosuchus is an extinct genus of capitosaurian temnospondyls within the family Mastodonsauridae. Fossils are known from the Early Triassic of Europe, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. It was about 2 metres (6.6 ft) long and likely lived in aquatic environments such as lakes and rivers. Parotosuchus was covered in a scaly skin, unlike the smooth skin of modern-day amphibians, and probably moved with an eel-like motion in the water. [2]
Parotosuchus was originally named Parotosaurus. However, the name Parotosaurus was preoccupied by a genus of skinks, [3] and in 1968 the name Parotosuchus was proposed as a replacement. [4] The name Archotosaurus was also proposed as a replacement name in 1976, [5] although the author who proposed this was unaware that Parotosuchus was already in use. Because the name Parotosuchus was erected earlier than Archotosaurus, it has priority. [6]
Parotosuchus in a cladogram after Novikov (2018) with only Early Triassic Eastern Europe taxa included: [7]
Parotosuchus Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Skull impression of P. nasutus in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Order: | † Temnospondyli |
Suborder: | † Stereospondyli |
Clade: | † Capitosauria |
Family: | † Mastodonsauridae |
Genus: | †
Parotosuchus Otschev and Shishkin, 1968 |
Species | |
| |
Synonyms | |
|
Parotosuchus is an extinct genus of capitosaurian temnospondyls within the family Mastodonsauridae. Fossils are known from the Early Triassic of Europe, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. It was about 2 metres (6.6 ft) long and likely lived in aquatic environments such as lakes and rivers. Parotosuchus was covered in a scaly skin, unlike the smooth skin of modern-day amphibians, and probably moved with an eel-like motion in the water. [2]
Parotosuchus was originally named Parotosaurus. However, the name Parotosaurus was preoccupied by a genus of skinks, [3] and in 1968 the name Parotosuchus was proposed as a replacement. [4] The name Archotosaurus was also proposed as a replacement name in 1976, [5] although the author who proposed this was unaware that Parotosuchus was already in use. Because the name Parotosuchus was erected earlier than Archotosaurus, it has priority. [6]
Parotosuchus in a cladogram after Novikov (2018) with only Early Triassic Eastern Europe taxa included: [7]