Smilosuchus lithodendrorum
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Smilosuchus Temporal range: Late Triassic |
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| Skull of Smilosuchus gregorii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Phytosauria |
| Family: | Phytosauridae |
| Node: | †Leptosuchomorpha |
| Genus: |
†Smilosuchus Long & Murry, 1995 |
| Type species | |
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†Smilosuchus gregorii (Camp, 1930) |
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| Species | |
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Smilosuchus (meaning "chisel crocodile") is an extinct genus of leptosuchomorph phytosaurid from the Late Triassic of North America. The type species was first described in 1995 as a replacement generic name for Leptosuchus gregorii. Because of the large rostral crest it possessed, it was considered to be distinct enough from other species of Leptosuchus (all of which had smaller and more restricted crests) to be within its own genus. Some studies seem to suggest that Smilosuchus is congeneric with Leptosuchus, as the enlarged crest could have been independently developed in Leptosuchus. However, newer studies support the idea that Smilosuchus is distinct from the type species of Leptosuchus, Leptosuchus crosbiensis. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that Smilosuchus is more closely related to pseudopalatines than to Leptosuchus species.
Below is a cladogram from Stocker (2012):
TMM 31173-120
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