Kingdom Animalia Family †Atoposauridae Rank Genus | Class Reptilia Phylum Chordata | |
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Similar Atoposauridae, Alligatorium, Bernissartia, Goniopholis, Alligatorellus | ||
Theriosuchus is an extinct genus of atoposaurid mesoeucrocodylian from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of Europe (southern England) and Southeast Asia (Thailand), with fragmentary records from Middle Jurassic and Early Cretaceous sites in China, Morocco, and Scotland.
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Taxonomy
Two valid species are currently recognized: Theriosuchus pusillus from southern England, and T. grandinaris from Thailand. Theriosuchus was previously assigned to Atoposauridae, but a 2016 cladistic analysis recovered it as a neosuchian more closely related to members of the family Paralligatoridae than to atoposaurids.
Two species previously assigned to this genus, Theriosuchus ibericus and T. symplesiodon, have been re-assigned to the new genus Sabresuchus. On the other hand, Theriosuchus guimarotae from Portugal has been re-assigned to Knoetschkesuchus.
Paleobiology
Fossils belonging to the genus are abundant at several European sites, namely Dorset, southern England.