Erythrosuchia ( lat. Erythrosuchidae ) - a family of extinct reptiles from the Archosauriformes group. Primitive Triassic predators, descendants of the Proterozuch .
| † Erythrosuchia |
Skull of Shansisuchus shansisuchus , in the |
| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Infraclass : | Archosauromorphs |
| No rank : | Archosauriformes |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Erythrosuchidae Broom , 1905 |
Geochronology249–237 Ma | million years | Period | Era | Aeon |
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| 2.588 | Even | | | Ka | F
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th | | 23.03 | Neogene | | 66.0 | Paleogene | | 145.5 | a piece of chalk | M
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th | | 199.6 | Yura | | 251 | Triassic | | 299 | Permian | P
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th | | 359.2 | Carbon | | 416 | Devonian | | 443.7 | Silur | | 488.3 | Ordovician | | 542 | Cambrian | | 4570 | Precambrian |
◄ Nowadays◄ Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction◄ Triassic extinction◄ Perm mass extinction◄ Devonian extinction◄ Ordovician-Silurian extinction◄ Cambrian explosion |
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Large and giant (up to 6 meters long) predators with a huge head (the length of the skull can exceed 1 meter). The skull is high, with two preorbital windows, the back is larger than the front. The preorbital windows are separated by a maxilla process. The orbit is very high, sideways. The maxillary bones are usually bent downward, hanging over the lower jaw. A small pineal opening remains. There is a small mandibular window. Joan slightly shifted back - the initial stage of formation of the secondary palate. There are palatine teeth. The jaw teeth are very large, knife-shaped, of different sizes. There is a diastema between the teeth of premaxilla and maxilla. The body is massive, tall. The cervical vertebrae are very powerful. Shoulder high, small coracoids. The limbs are short, massive, with weakly ossified epiphyses. The pelvis is wide, the pubic bones are strongly bent down. The staging of the limbs is partially parasagittal (i.e. partially straightened). The calcaneal joint is metotarsal. Foot and hand are almost symmetrical. The fourth finger is longer than the third or equal to it. The tail is not very long. There are isolated rounded osteoderms on the back.
Previously, it was often described as semi-aquatic predators, who hunted large vertebrates from an ambush [1] . Studies of oxygen isotopes in fossils [2] and bone histology (showing very high and continuous growth rates comparable to those of the fastest growing dinosaurs) provided convincing evidence that erythrosuchia were warm-blooded animals capable of long periods of terrestrial activity [1] ] . They also often inhabited biotopes quite distant from water sources [1] . Known throughout the Triassic (until the beginning of the Late Triassic), from South Africa , Europe , China , North and, possibly, South America .
According to the Fossilworks website, 8 mostly monotypic genera are distinguished [3] :
- Genus Chalishevia Ochev, 1980
- Chalishevia cothurnata Ochev, 1980
- Genus Cuyosuchus
- Cuyosuchus huenei Reig, 1961
- Genus Erythrosuchus Broom, 1905 typus
- Erythrosuchus africanus Broom, 1905
- Genus Garjainia Ochev, 1958
- Garjainia prima Ochev, 1958
- Genus Guchengosuchus Peng, 1991
- Guchengosuchus shiguaiensis Peng, 1991
- Genus Shansisuchus Young, 1964
- Shansisuchus kuyeheensis Cheng, 1980
- Shansisuchus shansisuchus Young, 1964 [ syn. Fenhosuchus cristatus Young, 1964 ]
- Genus Uralosaurus Sennikov, 1995
- Uralosaurus magnus (Ochev, 1980) [syn. Erythrosuchus magnus Ochev, 1980 ]
- Genus Vjushkovia Huene, 1960
- Vjushkovia triplicostata (Huene, 1960) [syn. Garjainia triplicostata Huene, 1960 ]
- Erythrosukh ( Erythrosuchus ) - from the Middle Triassic (Ladinia, Cynognathus zone) of South Africa. Described by R. Brum in 1905. Initially, it became closer to pelicosaurs (as part of the order Pelycosimia ), later its belonging to archosaurs was shown. A huge animal, with a skull up to a meter long and short strong legs - was one of the largest land predators of the early Triassic. He hunted for other reptiles - grabbed them with powerful jaws with sharp teeth. Length - 4.5 meters.
- Garinia ( Garjainia ) - from the early Triassic of Eastern Europe. The genus was identified by V. G. Ochev in 1958, named after the Saratov geologist V. A. Garyainov. One of the most primitive representatives of the group. The length of the skull is more than 60 cm, the total length is up to 3-4 meters. It comes from the Olenek layer of the early Triassic of the Orenburg region and Bashkiria. Two species - G. prima and G. triplicostata. The second species can stand out in a special genus Vjushkovia . Both species are known for fairly complete remains, including complete skeletons. In the old sources, the firewood was attributed to the genus Erythrosuchus .
- Uralosaurus ( Uralosaurus magnus ) - from the Middle Triassic (Donguz, Anisian tier) of the Orenburg region. Known for fragmented residues. Described by V. G. Ochev as Erythrosuchus magnus in 1980, singled out in a special genus by A. G. Sennikov in 1995. The sizes are huge - the skull is up to 70 cm long. On the lower jaw, two front teeth are directed forward.
- Chalyshevia ( Chalishevia cothurnata ) - a giant erythrosuchid with a skull about a meter long. Described by V. G. Ochev in three pieces of a skull from the location of Bukobay (Orenburg region, Ladinsky layer of the Middle Triassic). It is interesting that a square bone was found in the same layer a little earlier, and Ochev doubted that all three bones belonged to one skull. However, S.M. Kurzanov already in Moscow put together the pieces of the skull and it turned out that they fit exactly together. The genus was named in 1980 in honor of the Saratov geologist V. I. Chalyshev, who had already died by then. The skull is usually depicted with a sharply bent premaxilla, but this is most likely the result of deformation. The genus is close to the Chinese erythrosuhid shansizuh, also known from coeval deposits of Bashkiria.
Shansisuchus shansisuchus - Shansizuh ( Shansisuchus ) - from the Middle Triassic (Anisia) of Shanxi in China. The genus was described by Yang Zhongjiang in 1964. The length of the skull is up to 60 cm. The skeleton is relatively light, with long limbs. Three kinds.
- Guchenozuh ( Guchengosuchus ) - from the early Triassic (deer) of China, the genus is close to the Garinia.
- Cuyosuchus huenei from the Late Triassic (noriya) of Argentina also belongs to erythrosuchia.
The remains of large erythrosuchia were found in the Middle Triassic of New Mexico. There is evidence of a erythrosuchus near the Garinia in the upper Triassic of South Africa.
