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Stagonosuchus Temporal range: Anisian ~247–242 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Genus:	†Stagonosuchus von Huene, 1939
Species:	†S. nyassicus
Binomial name
†Stagonosuchus nyassicus von Huene, 1939
Synonyms
Prestosuchus nyassicus? von Huene, 1939

Stagonosuchus is an extinct genus of paracrocodylomorph, possibly a loricatan synonymous with Prestosuchus or a poposauroid. Fossils have been found from the Late Triassic Manda Formation in Tanzania that are Anisian in age.

Description

Unlike other rauisuchians, which have a prominent ridge on the ilium called the supra-acetabular buttress that overlies the femur, Stagonosuchus possesses only a slight thickening on the surface of the bone. In Stagonosuchus, the pubis is broad and plate like, while in other genera it is narrower and may have a prominent "foot" like that of some theropod dinosaurs.

The centra of the vertebrae are constricted to some extent, though not as much as in other rauisuchians such as Saurosuchus. In the vertebrae, the neural canals (through which the spinal cord would pass) extend into the centra, forming deep concavities. A wide articulation between the hyposphene and hypantrum in successive vertebrae prevented any lateral movement of the spine. A small accessory neural spine projects near the larger main spine, possibly as an extra attachment for bracing ligaments. Stagonosuchus also has many laminae, or ridges of bone on the vertebrae.

Classification

Friedrich von Huene, who named the genus in 1938, first classified Stagonosuchus as a rauisuchid. In 1967, Alfred Romer placed Stagonosuchus in the newly erected family Prestosuchidae. However, this was likely due to the close similarities shared between the two families which made classification difficult. Stagonosuchus has since been considered a rauisuchid. A 2010 study on archosaurian phylogeny found Stagonosuchus to be outside both Rauisuchidae and Prestosuchidae in a more basal position within Rauisuchia. The study erected the name Rauisuchoidea to include it and other basal taxa that were closely related to rauisuchids and prestosuchids, including Ticinosuchus (traditionally thought to be a prestosuchid) and Arganasuchus and Fasolasuchus (previously considered rauisuchids). A 2011 study found Ticinosuchus to be the closest relative of Stagonosuchus despite a conspicuous difference in size between the two forms (Ticinosuchus is much more gracile than the larger Stagonosuchus). A 2020 study argued that Stagonosuchus was a second species of Prestosuchus, Prestosuchus nyassicus. However, a study from the same year did not recover both as sister taxa, and the 2024 phylogenetic analysis recovered Stagonosuchus outside Loricata and suggested that it could be included within Poposauroidea instead.

References

1. Gower, D. J. (2000). "Rauisuchian archosaurs (Reptilia:Diapsida): An overview" (PDF). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen. 218 (3): 447–488. doi:10.1127/njgpa/218/2000/447.
2. Sulej, T (2005). "A new rauisuchian reptile (Diapsida: Archosauria) from the Late Triassic of Poland". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (1): 78–86. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0078:ANRRDA]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 86284626.
3. Bonaparte, J. F. (1984). "Locomotion in rauisuchid thecodonts". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 3 (4): 210–218. doi:10.1080/02724634.1984.10011976.
4. Dawley, R. M.; Zawiskie, J. M.; Cosgriff, J. W. (1979). "A rauisuchid thecodont from the Upper Triassic Popo Agie Formation of Wyoming". Journal of Paleontology. 53 (6): 1428–1431.
5. ^ Lautenschlager, Stephan; Julia Brenda Desojo (2011). "Reassessment of the Middle Triassic rauisuchian archosaurs Ticinosuchus ferox and Stagonosuchus nyassicus". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 85 (4): 357–381. doi:10.1007/s12542-011-0105-1. hdl:11336/68929. S2CID 86671911.
6. Huene, F.v. (1936). "Übersicht über Zusammensetzung und Bedeutung der Thecodontia". Zentralblatt für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie. 1936: 162–168.
7. Romer, A. S. (1967). Vertebrate Paleontology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 468.
8. Brusatte, S.L.; Benton, M.J.; Desojo, J.B.; Langer, M.C. (2010). "The higher-level phylogeny of Archosauria (Tetrapoda: Diapsida)" (PDF). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 8 (1): 3–47. doi:10.1080/14772010903537732. hdl:20.500.11820/24322ff3-e80e-45f2-8d53-d35fd104195c. S2CID 59148006.
9. Desojo, Julia Brenda; Baczko, María Belén von; Rauhut, Oliver W. M. (2020-02-18). "Anatomy, taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of Prestosuchus chiniquensis (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the original collection of von Huene, Middle-Late Triassic of southern Brazil". Palaeontologia Electronica. 23 (1): 1–55. doi:10.26879/1026. hdl:11336/127498. ISSN 1094-8074.
10. Sterling J. Nesbitt; John M. Zawiskie; Robert M. Dawley (2020). "The osteology and phylogenetic position of the loricatan (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) Heptasuchus clarki, from the ?Mid-Upper Triassic, southeastern Big Horn Mountains, Central Wyoming (USA)". PeerJ. 8: e10101. doi:10.7717/peerj.10101. PMC 7597643. PMID 33194383.
11. Smith, Nathan D.; Klein, Nicole; Sander, P. Martin; Schmitz, Lars (July 2024). "A new pseudosuchian from the Favret Formation of Nevada reveals that archosauriforms occupied coastal regions globally during the Middle Triassic". Biology Letters. 20 (7). 20240136. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2024.0136. ISSN 1744-957X. PMC 11286145. PMID 38982977.

v t e Pseudosuchia
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Clade: Archosauria Sauropsida see Sauropsida Archosauromorpha see Archosauromorpha Pseudosuchia see below↓
Pseudosuchia Pseudosuchia †Dasygnathoides †Nundasuchus †Phytosauria? †Ornithosuchidae Aenigmaspina? Dynamosuchus Ornithosuchus Riojasuchus Venaticosuchus Suchia †Heteropelta? †Koilamasuchus? †Mandasuchus †Nundasuchus? †Ticinosuchus †Erpetosuchidae Archeopelta? Dyoplax? Erpetosuchus Pagosvenator Parringtonia Tarjadia †Aetosauriformes Acaenasuchus Euscolosuchus Revueltosaurus Aetosauria see Aetosauria †Gracilisuchidae Gracilisuchus Maehary? Parvosuchus Turfanosuchus Yonghesuchus Paracrocodylomorpha see below↓
Paracrocodylomorpha Paracrocodylomorpha †Mambawakale †Poposauroidea Benggwigwishingasuchus Lotosaurus Schultzsuchus? Qianosuchus Ctenosauriscidae Arizonasaurus Bromsgroveia Bystrowisuchus Ctenosauriscus Hypselorhachis Tsylmosuchus? Xilousuchus Poposauridae Dolichobrachium Poposaurus Shuvosauridae Effigia Shuvosaurus Sillosuchus Loricata †Apatosuchus †Arganasuchus †Batrachotomus †Dagasuchus †Decuriasuchus †Etjosuchus †Fasolasuchus †Heptasuchus †Heteropelta? †Incertovenator? †Luperosuchus †Mandasuchus? †Prestosuchus †Procerosuchus †Saurosuchus †Stagonosuchus †Youngosuchus †Rauisuchidae Arganasuchus? Energosuchus? Jushatyria? Polonosuchus Postosuchus Procerosuchus? Rauisuchus Scolotosuchus Scythosuchus? Teratosaurus Tikisuchus? Vivaron Vjushkovisaurus? Vytshegdosuchus? Crocodylomorpha see below↓
Crocodylomorpha Crocodylomorpha †Carnufex †Dibothrosuchus †Dromicosuchus †Hesperosuchus †Heteropelta? †Junggarsuchus †Kayentasuchus †Parrishia †Phyllodontosuchus †Pseudhesperosuchus †Redondavenator †Sphenosuchus †Syntomiprosopus? †Trialestes †Saltoposuchidae Litargosuchus Saltoposuchus Terrestrisuchus †Hallopodidae Almadasuchus Hallopus Macelognathus †Thalattosuchia see Thalattosuchia Crocodyliformes †Entradasuchus †Eopneumatosuchus †Kemkemia †Microchampsa †Platyognathus †Stegomosuchus †Tagarosuchus †Protosuchidae Coloradisuchus Dianosuchus Edentosuchus Erythrochampsa Hemiprotosuchus Hoplosuchus Orthosuchus? Pedeticosaurus? Protosuchus †Notochampsidae Notochampsa Orthosuchus? †Gobiosuchidae Cassissuchus Gobiosuchus Lisboasaurus? Zaraasuchus Mesoeucrocodylia †Dianchungosaurus †Hsisosuchus †Induszalim †Lusitanisuchus †Neuquensuchus †Pachycheilosuchus? †Titanochampsa †Thalattosuchia? †Shartegosuchoidea Hadongsuchus Shantungosuchus Sichuanosuchus Zosuchus Shartegosuchidae Adzhosuchus Fruitachampsa Kyasuchus Nominosuchus Shartegosuchus Metasuchia †Ziphosuchia see Ziphosuchia includes notosuchians Neosuchia see Neosuchia includes crocodilians
See also: Rauisuchia Prestosuchidae Bathyotica Sphenosuchia Protosuchia Mesosuchia Category

• Loricatans
• Anisian life
• Middle Triassic reptiles of Africa
• Triassic Tanzania
• Fossils of Tanzania
• Fossil taxa described in 1938
• Prehistoric pseudosuchian genera