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Goniopholididae Temporal range: Middle Jurassic–Late Cretaceous PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Possible Early Jurassic record if Calsoyasuchus is a goniopholidid
Amphicotylus milesi from the Late Jurassic of North America
Skull of Goniopholis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Crocodylomorpha
Clade:	Crocodyliformes
Clade:	Neosuchia
Family:	†Goniopholididae Cope, 1875
Subgroups
†Amphicotylus †Anteophthalmosuchus †Calsoyasuchus? †Coelosuchus †Dakotasuchus †Denazinosuchus †Diplosaurus †Eutretauranosuchus †Goniopholis †Hulkepholis †Nannosuchus †Ophiussasuchus †Oweniasuchus †Pinacosuchus? †Siamosuchus †Sunosuchus †Symptosuchus? †Woodbinesuchus

Goniopholididae is an extinct family of moderate-sized semi-aquatic neosuchian crocodyliformes. Their bodyplan and morphology are convergent on living crocodilians. They lived across Laurasia (Asia, Europe and North America) between the Middle Jurassic (possibly Early Jurassic, see below) and the Late Cretaceous.

Description

The dorsal armour of goniopholidids is composed of two rows of paired osteoderms (as opposed to the four main pairs present in living crocodilians and other eusuchians), which are rectangular in shape and wider than they are long, with the lateral margins ventrally deflected and an anterior process for a ‘peg and groove’ articulation. Unlike modern crocodilians they have ventral osteoderms as well. Their forelimbs are also proportionally very long, particularly in the humeri and wrist bones, being as long or longer than the hindlimbs, the opposite of the condition seen in modern crocodilians. Some like Anteophthalmosuchus also have forwardly oriented eyes, as opposed to the dorsally oriented eyes seen in modern forms. These suggest multiple biomechanical differences from modern species.

Ecology

Goniopholidids likely had a similar ecology to modern crocodilians as semi-aquatic ambush predators.

Evolutionary history

Goniopholidids have only been found in Laurasia (Asia, Europe and North America). The oldest possible member of the group is Calsoyasuchus from the Early Jurassic of North America. However, its placement is disputed, with some studies recovering it as only distantly related to goniopholidids. The goniopholidids were present across Eurasia during the Middle Jurassic and were widespread in North America during the Late Jurassic and continued to remain prominent across Laurasia during the Early Cretaceous. Goniopolidids persisted into the late Upper Cretaceous in North America based on Denazinosuchus, from the Campanian-Maastrichtian of New Mexico, which is only known from fragmentary remains, and has been disputed as a member of the group, as well as remains of an unnamed goniopholidid from the Campanian aged Aguja Formation of Texas.

Classification

The following cladogram simplified after an analysis presented by Marco Brandalise de Andrade and colleagues in 2011.

References

1. Puértolas-Pascual, E; Mateus, O (2020-06-11). "A three-dimensional skeleton of Goniopholididae from the Late Jurassic of Portugal: implications for the Crocodylomorpha bracing system". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 189 (2): 521–548. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz102. ISSN 0024-4082.
2. Salisbury, S. W. & Frey, E. 2000. A biomechanical transformation model for the evolution of semi-spheroidal articulations between adjoining vertebral bodies in crocodilians. In Grigg, G. C., Seebacher, F. & Franklin, C. E. (eds) Crocodilian Biology and Evolution. Surry Beatty & Sons (Chipping Norton, Aus.), pp. 85-134.
3. Salisbury, S. W. & Naish, D. (2011). Crocodilians. In Batten, D. J. (ed.) English Wealden Fossils. The Palaeontological Association (London), pp. 305-369.
4. ^ Ristevski, Jorgo; Young, Mark T.; de Andrade, Marco Brandalise; Hastings, Alexander K. (April 2018). "A new species of Anteophthalmosuchus (Crocodylomorpha, Goniopholididae) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, and a review of the genus". Cretaceous Research. 84: 340–383. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.11.008.
5. Tykoski RS, Rowe TB, Ketcham RA, Colbert MW. 2002. Calsoyasuchus valliceps, a new crocodyliform from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22 (3): 593-611.
6. Ruebenstahl, Alexander A.; Klein, Michael D.; Yi, Hongyu; Xu, Xing; Clark, James M. (2022-06-14). "Anatomy and relationships of the early diverging Crocodylomorphs Junggarsuchus sloani and Dibothrosuchus elaphros". The Anatomical Record. 305 (10): 2463–2556. doi:10.1002/ar.24949. ISSN 1932-8486. PMC 9541040. PMID 35699105.
7. Wilberg, Eric W.; Turner, Alan H.; Brochu, Christopher A. (December 2019). "Evolutionary structure and timing of major habitat shifts in Crocodylomorpha". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 514. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-36795-1. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6346023. PMID 30679529.
8. Panciroli, Elsa; Benson, Roger B. J.; Walsh, Stig; Butler, Richard J.; Castro, Tiago Andrade; Jones, Marc E. H.; Evans, Susan E. (2020-07-27). "Diverse vertebrate assemblage of the Kilmaluag Formation (Bathonian, Middle Jurassic) of Skye, Scotland". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 111 (3): 135–156. doi:10.1017/s1755691020000055. ISSN 1755-6910. S2CID 225491078.
9. Kuzmin, I.T.; Skutschas, P.P.; Grigorieva, O.I.; Krasnolutskii, S.A. (2013-12-30). "Goniopholidid crocodylomorph from the Middle Jurassic Berezovsk Quarry locality (Western Siberia, Russia)". Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS (in Russian). 317 (4): 452–458. doi:10.31610/trudyzin/2013.317.4.452. ISSN 0206-0477. S2CID 146766436.
10. Yoshida, Junki; Hori, Atsushi; Kobayashi, Yoshitsugu; Ryan, Michael J.; Takakuwa, Yuji; Hasegawa, Yoshikazu (December 2021). "A new goniopholidid from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, USA: novel insight into aquatic adaptation toward modern crocodylians". Royal Society Open Science. 8 (12): 210320. doi:10.1098/rsos.210320. ISSN 2054-5703. PMC 8652276. PMID 34909210.
11. Lauprasert, Komsorn; Cuny, Gilles; Buffetaut, Eric; Suteethorn, Varavudh; Thirakhupt, Kumthorn (2007-05-01). "Siamosuchus phuphokensis, a new goniopholidid from the Early Cretaceous (ante-Aptian) of northeastern Thailand". Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. 178 (3): 201–216. doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.178.3.201. ISSN 1777-5817.
12. Lehman, Thomas M.; Wick, Steven L.; Brink, Alyson A.; Shiller, Thomas A. (July 2019). "Stratigraphy and vertebrate fauna of the lower shale member of the Aguja Formation (lower Campanian) in West Texas". Cretaceous Research. 99: 291–314. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.02.028. S2CID 135044927.
13. Marco Brandalise de Andrade; Richard Edmonds; Michael J. Benton; Remmert Schouten (2011). "A new Berriasian species of Goniopholis (Mesoeucrocodylia, Neosuchia) from England, and a review of the genus". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163 (s1): S66–S108. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00709.x.

v t e Neosuchia
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Clade: Pseudosuchia Clade: Metasuchia Pseudosuchia see Pseudosuchia Neosuchia see below↓
Neosuchia Neosuchia †Burkesuchus †Isisfordia †Karatausuchus †Khoratosuchus †Montsecosuchus †Stolokrosuchus? †Susisuchus †Tadzhikosuchus? †Wahasuchus? †Zhyrasuchus? †Thalattosuchia? †Tethysuchia Pholidosauridae Anglosuchus Chalawan Crocodilaemus Dakotasuchus Elosuchus Meridiosaurus Oceanosuchus Pholidosaurus Sarcosuchus Terminonaris Vectisuchus Woodbinesuchus Dyrosauridae Acherontisuchus Anthracosuchus Arambourgisuchus Atlantosuchus Brachiosuchus Cerrejonisuchus Chenanisuchus Congosaurus Dorbignysuchus Dyrosaurus Fortignathus Guarinisuchus Hyposaurus Luciasuchus Phosphatosaurus Rhabdognathus Rodeosuchus Sabinosuchus? Sokotosuchus Tilemsisuchus †Atoposauridae Alligatorellus Alligatorium Aprosuchus Atoposaurus Knoetschkesuchus Sabresuchus Theriosuchus Varanosuchus †Stomatosuchidae Laganosuchus Stomatosuchus †Paluxysuchidae Deltasuchus Paluxysuchus †Goniopholididae Amphicotylus Anteophthalmosuchus Calsoyasuchus Coelosuchus Denazinosuchus Diplosaurus Eutretauranosuchus Goniopholis Hulkepholis Nannosuchus Ophiussasuchus Oweniasuchus Pinacosuchus? Siamosuchus Sunosuchus Symptosuchus? †Bernissartiidae Bernissartia Koumpiodontosuchus †Paralligatoridae Batrachomimus Brillanceausuchus Kansajsuchus Paralligator Rugosuchus Scolomastax Shamosuchus Tarsomordeo Turanosuchus Wannchampsus Yanjisuchus Eusuchia see below↓
Eusuchia Eusuchia †Borealosuchus †Confractosuchus †Dolichochampsa †Gilchristosuchus †Heterosuchus †Isisfordia? †Portugalosuchus †Pristichampsus †Susisuchus? †Titanochampsa? †Atoposauridae? †Bernissartiidae? †Paralligatoridae? †Hylaeochampsidae Acynodon? Hylaeochampsa Iharkutosuchus Pachycheilosuchus? Pietraroiasuchus Turcosuchus Unasuchus †Allodaposuchidae Agaresuchus Allodaposuchus Arenysuchus? Ischyrochampsa Lohuecosuchus Massaliasuchus Musturzabalsuchus? †Aegyptosuchidae Aegyptosuchus Aegisuchus †"Thoracosaurs" Argochampsa Eogavialis Eosuchus Eothoracosaurus Thoracosaurus †Planocraniidae Boverisuchus Duerosuchus Planocrania Crocodilia see Crocodilia for extant taxa, and Extinct Crocodilia for extinct ones
See also: Coelognathosuchia Category

• Goniopholidids
• Early Jurassic crocodylomorphs
• Early Cretaceous crocodylomorphs
• Sinemurian first appearances
• Maastrichtian extinctions
• Middle Jurassic crocodylomorphs
• Late Jurassic crocodylomorphs
• Late Cretaceous crocodylomorphs
• Pseudosuchian families
• Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope