Erythrosuchidae are a family of large basal archosaurian carnivores that lived from the later Early Triassic (Olenekian) to the early Middle Triassic (Anisian). Their fossil remains are known so far from South Africa (Beaufort Group of the Karoo Basin), the Perm region of Russia, and China. They were the apex predators of their day, with lengths of 2.5 to over 5 meters. In the largest forms, such as Erythrosuchus, the skull alone can be a meter in length. The large contemporary Kannemeyeriid dicynodonts doubtless constituted much of their prey. However, the first Erythrosuchids appear in the fossil record slightly earlier than the Kannemeyeriids do, so it must be assumed that they also fed on other animals as well. In phylogenetics, basal members of a group are subgroups that diverged very early from the others. ... -1... The lion is a well-known, truly carnivorous member of the order Carnivora. ... The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 245 to 202 Ma (million years ago). ... The Olenekian (also known as the Yongningzhenian) is a stage of the Early Triassic epoch. ... In the geologic timescale, the Anisian is the age of the Middle Triassic epoch of the Triassic period of the Mesozoic era of the Fanerozoic eon that is comprehended between 245 million and 237 million years ago, approximatedly. ... The Beaufort Group is the third of the main subdivisions of the Karoo Supergroup of geological strata in Southern Africa. ... The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. ... City of Perm, Church of Ascension Perm (Russian: ) is a city in and administrative center of Perm Krai, Russia. ... Apex predators (also alpha predators or superpredators) are predators that are not preyed upon in the wild. ... Kannemeyeriidae: A family of large, stocky, beaked and sometimes tusked dicynodonts, they were the dominant large terrestrial herbivores through most of the Triassic period. ... Dicynodonta is a taxon within the Therapsids or mammal-like reptiles. ...

Erythrosuchidae were formerly classified as Thecodonts of the suborder Proterosuchia. This classification is no longer used by paleontologists, who now employ a cladistic approach. In this, Erythrosuchids constitute an Archosauriformes clade that is an outgroup to the Archosauria proper. The presence of certain Archosaurian features such as the triradiate pelvic girdle, the fourth trochanter, and the third metatarsal longer than the fourth, indicate that Erythrosuchids are closer to the true Archosaurs than the Proterosuchidae, which lack these features. Thecodont (socket-toothed reptile), is a catch-all (paraphyletic) group, now considered an obsolete term, that was formerly used to describe a group of the earliest archosaurs that lived during the Permian and Triassic periods. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... This cladogram shows the relationship among various insect groups. ... Groups Proterosuchidae     Erythrosuchidae         Euparkeriidae             Archosauria Archosauriformes (Greek for ruling reptiles, + form) are a clade of diapsid reptiles that developed from Archosauromorph ancestors some time in the Late Permian (roughly 250 million years ago). ... A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... The metatarsus consists of the five long bones of the foot, which are numbered from the medial side (ossa metatarsalia I.-V.); each presents for examination a body and two extremities. ... Genera see Taxonomy Proterosuchidae (or Chasmatosuchidae) are an early, most certainly paraphyletic, assemblage of basal archosaurs whose fossils are known from the the Latest Permian of Russia and the Early Triassic of southern Africa, Russia, China, Australia, and Antarctica. ...

Thus the Erythrosuchidae occupy a transitional evolutionary position between the most primitive archisauriformes and more advanced Triassic archosaurs.

Taxonomy

• Infraclass Archosauromorpha
  • (unranked) Archosauriformes
    • Family Erythrosuchidae
      • Fugusuchus
      • Garjainia
      • Erythrosuchus
      • Shanshisuchus
      • Vjushkovia

Groups Order Rhynchosauria Order Trilophosauria Order Prolacertiformes Plesion     Archosauriformes Division        Archosauria Archosauromorpha (Greek for ruling reptiles form) are a diverse group or Infraclass of diapsid reptiles that first appeared during the late Permian, but only became common during the Triassic. ... Groups Proterosuchidae     Erythrosuchidae         Euparkeriidae             Archosauria Archosauriformes (Greek for ruling reptiles, + form) are a clade of diapsid reptiles that developed from Archosauromorph ancestors some time in the Late Permian (roughly 250 million years ago). ...

References

• Benton, M. J. (2000), Vertebrate Paleontology, 2nd Ed. Blackwell Science Ltd (2004) 3rd edition
• Carroll, R. L. (1988), Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, WH Freeman & Co.
• Parrish, J. M. (1992) Phylogeny of the Erythrosuchidae (Reptilia: Archosauridormes). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 12, N3-102.

Michael J. Benton is a professor of vertebrate palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. ... Front of the original Blackwells bookshop Blackwells is a national chain of publishers and bookshops in the United Kingdom. ... Robert L. Carroll (b. ...

External links

• Erythrosuchidae - at EvoWiki
• Erythrosuchidae - list of species (Mikko's Phylogeny Archive)