Paleosuchus
| Paleosuchus Temporal range: Late Pleistocene - Recent,
| |
|---|---|
| File:Brauen Glattstirnkaiman Paleosuchus palpebrosus.jpg | |
| Paleosuchus palpebrosus | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauria |
| Order: | Crocodilia |
| Family: | Alligatoridae |
| Subfamily: | Caimaninae |
| Genus: | Paleosuchus Gray, 1862 |
| Species | |
Paleosuchus (from Ancient Greek παλαιός (palaiós), meaning "old", and Σοῦχος (Soûkhos), meaning "Sobek") is a South American genus of reptiles in the subfamily Caimaninae of the family Alligatoridae. They are the smallest members of the order Crocodilia in the Americas.[2]
Classification
[edit | edit source]The genus name Paleosuchus is derived from the Greek palaios meaning "ancient" and soukhos meaning "crocodile god Sobek". This refers to the belief that this crocodile comes from an ancient lineage that diverged from other species of caimans some 30 million years ago.[3]
At present, Paleosuchus contains only two members: the smooth-fronted or Schneider's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus) and Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), both from South America.
Paleosuchus is distinguished from other caimans in the subfamily Caimaninae by the absence of an interorbital ridge and the presence of four teeth in the premaxilla region of the jaw, where other species of caimans have five.[3] The relationships of extant (living) caimans can be shown in the cladogram below, based on molecular DNA-based phylogenetic studies:[4]
| Alligatoridae |
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Species
[edit | edit source]The genus contains the following two extant species[5] and a yet unnamed fossil species.[6]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuvier's dwarf caiman | Paleosuchus palpebrosus Cuvier, 1807 |
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela Map of range |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
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| Smooth-fronted caiman | Paleosuchus trigonatus (Schneider, 1801) |
Amazon and Orinoco Basins Map of range |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
References
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- ^ Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey (2014). The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed at http://animaldiversity.org.
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Alderton, D. (1991). Crocodiles and Alligators of the World. New York: Facts on File Publications.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]
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