Maroccosuchus
Extinct genus of reptiles
Maroccosuchus zennaroi extinct gavialoid crocodylian from the Early Eocene of Morocco , traditionally regarded as a member of the subfamily Tomistominae .[ 2] [ 3]
Below is a cladogram based on morphological studies comparing skeletal features that shows Maroccosuchus as a member of Tomistominae, related to the false gharial :[ 4]
Based on morphological studies of extinct taxa , the tomistomines were long thought to be classified as crocodiles and not closely related to gavialoids.[ 5] DNA sequencing have consistently indicated that the false gharial (Tomistoma ) (and by inference other related extinct forms in Tomistominae ) actually belong to Gavialoidea (and Gavialidae ).[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10] [ 11] [ 12]
Below is a cladogram from a 2018 tip dating study by Lee & Yates simultaneously using morphological , molecular (DNA sequencing ), and stratigraphic (fossil age) data that shows Maroccosuchus as an early-diverging gavialoid, more basal than the last common ancestor to both the gharial and the false gharial:[ 11]
References
^ Rio, Jonathan P.; Mannion, Philip D. (6 September 2021). "Phylogenetic analysis of a new morphological dataset elucidates the evolutionary history of Crocodylia and resolves the long-standing gharial problem" . PeerJ 9 : e12094. doi :10.7717/peerj.12094 PMC 8428266 PMID 34567843 . ^ Jonet, S.; Wouters, G. (1977). "Maroccosuchus zennaroi , crocodilien eusuchien nouveau des phosphates du Maroc". Notes et Mémoires du Service Géologique du Maroc . 38 : 177–202. ^ Brochu, Christopher A.; Gingerich, Philip D. (2000). "New tomistomine crocodylian from the Middle Eocene (Bartonian) of Wadi Hitan, Fayum Province, Egypt" (PDF) . Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology . 30 (10): 251–268. ^ Iijima, Masaya; Momohara, Arata; Kobayashi, Yoshitsugu; Hayashi, Shoji; Ikeda, Tadahiro; Taruno, Hiroyuki; Watanabe, Katsunori; Tanimoto, Masahiro; Furui, Sora (2018-05-01). "Toyotamaphimeia cf. machikanensis (Crocodylia, Tomistominae) from the Middle Pleistocene of Osaka, Japan, and crocodylian survivorship through the Pliocene-Pleistocene climatic oscillations" . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 496 : 346–360. Bibcode :2018PPP...496..346I . doi :10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.02.002 . ISSN 0031-0182 . ^ Brochu, C.A.; Gingerich, P.D. (2000). "New tomistomine crocodylian from the Middle Eocene (Bartonian) of Wadi Hitan, Fayum Province, Egypt". University of Michigan Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology . 30 (10): 251–268. ^ Harshman, J.; Huddleston, C. J.; Bollback, J. P.; Parsons, T. J.; Braun, M. J. (2003). "True and false gharials: A nuclear gene phylogeny of crocodylia" (PDF) . Systematic Biology . 52 (3): 386–402. doi :10.1080/10635150309323 PMID 12775527 . ^ Gatesy, Jorge; Amato, G.; Norell, M.; DeSalle, R.; Hayashi, C. (2003). "Combined support for wholesale taxic atavism in gavialine crocodylians" (PDF) . Systematic Biology . 52 (3): 403–422. doi :10.1080/10635150309329 PMID 12775528 . ^ Willis, R. E.; McAliley, L. R.; Neeley, E. D.; Densmore Ld, L. D. (June 2007). "Evidence for placing the false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii ) into the family Gavialidae: Inferences from nuclear gene sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 43 (3): 787–794. doi :10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.005 . PMID 17433721 . ^ Gatesy, J.; Amato, G. (2008). "The rapid accumulation of consistent molecular support for intergeneric crocodylian relationships". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48 (3): 1232–1237. doi :10.1016/j.ympev.2008.02.009 . PMID 18372192 . ^ Erickson, G. M.; Gignac, P. M.; Steppan, S. J.; Lappin, A. K.; Vliet, K. A.; Brueggen, J. A.; Inouye, B. D.; Kledzik, D.; Webb, G. J. W. (2012). Claessens, Leon (ed.). "Insights into the ecology and evolutionary success of crocodilians revealed through bite-force and tooth-pressure experimentation" . PLOS ONE . 7 (3): e31781. Bibcode :2012PLoSO...731781E . doi :10.1371/journal.pone.0031781 PMC 3303775 PMID 22431965 . ^ a b Michael S. Y. Lee; Adam M. Yates (27 June 2018). "Tip-dating and homoplasy: reconciling the shallow molecular divergences of modern gharials with their long fossil" . Proceedings of the Royal Society B 285 (1881). doi :10.1098/rspb.2018.1071 PMC 6030529 PMID 30051855 . ^ Hekkala, E.; Gatesy, J.; Narechania, A.; Meredith, R.; Russello, M.; Aardema, M. L.; Jensen, E.; Montanari, S.; Brochu, C.; Norell, M.; Amato, G. (2021-04-27). "Paleogenomics illuminates the evolutionary history of the extinct Holocene "horned" crocodile of Madagascar, Voay robustus" . Communications Biology . 4 (1): 505. doi :10.1038/s42003-021-02017-0 ISSN 2399-3642 . PMC 8079395 PMID 33907305 .
