Machaeroprosopus

Machaeroprosopus Temporal range: Late Triassic, Norian PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skulls in New Mexico
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Phytosauria
Family:	Phytosauridae
Subfamily:	†Pseudopalatinae
Genus:	†Machaeroprosopus Mehl et al., 1916
Type species
†Belodon buceros Cope, 1881
Species
†M. andersoni Mehl, 1922 †M. buceros (Cope, 1881) †M. jablonskiae (Parker & Irmis, 2006) †M. lottorum Hungerbühler et al., 2013 †M. mccauleyi (Ballew, 1989) †M. pristinus (Mehl, 1928) †M. validus Mehl in Mehl et al., 1916
Synonyms
Arribasuchus Long & Murry, 1995 Machaeroprosopus tenuis Camp, 1930 Pseudopalatus Mehl, 1928

Machaeroprosopus is an extinct genus of pseudopalatine phytosaurid from the Late Triassic of the southwestern United States. M. validus, once thought to be the type species of Machaeroprosopus, was named in 1916 on the basis of three complete skulls from Chinle Formation, Arizona. The skulls have been lost since the 1950s, and a line drawing in the original 1916 description is the only visual record of the specimen. Another species, M. andersoni, was named in 1922 from New Mexico, and the species M. adamanensis, M. gregorii, M. lithodendrorum, M. tenuis, and M. zunii were named in 1930. Most species have been reassigned to the genera Smilosuchus,Rutiodon, Pseudopalatus, or Phytosaurus. Until recently, M. validus was considered to be the only species that has not been reassigned. Thus, Machaeroprosopus was considered to be a nomen dubium or "doubtful name" because of the lack of diagnostic specimens that can support its distinction from other phytosaur genera. However, a taxonomic revision of Machaeroprosopus, conducted by Parker et al. (in press), revealed that UW 3807, the holotype of M. validus, is not the holotype of Machaeroprosopus, while the previously named species Pseudopalatus buceros has priority as the type species of the genus. Therefore, the name Pseudopalatus must be considered a junior synonym of Machaeroprosopus, and all species of the former must be reassigned to the later. This revised taxonomy was already accepted in several studies, including Stocker and Butler (2013). Stocker and Butler (2013) also treated M. andersoni as a valid species, and not a junior synonym of Machaeroprosopus buceros as was previously suggested by Long and Murry (1995).