Ziphosuchia

Ziphosuchia Temporal range: Late Cretaceous - Middle Miocene, 90–11 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Life restoration of Notosuchus terrestris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Metasuchia
Node:	†Ziphosuchia Ortega et al., 2000

Ziphosuchia is a clade of mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliforms that includes notosuchians and sebecosuchians. First constructed in 2000, it was considered to include Notosuchus, Libycosuchus, and Sebecosuchia. In a 2004 phylogenetic study, it was defined as the most recent common ancestor of Notosuchus, Libycosuchus, and Baurusuchoidea and all of its descendants.

Ziphosuchia is often considered to be the sister group of Neosuchia, a clade that includes modern crocodilians. Because the fossil range of Neosuchia extends back to the Early Jurassic with the family Goniopholididae, a ghost lineage of ziphosuchians dating back to that divergence point can be expected.