Archosauriformes Gauthier, Kluge and Rowe, 1988

Nesbitt, Sterling J., 2011, The Early Evolution Of Archosaurs: Relationships And The Origin Of Major Clades, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (352), pp. 1-292 : 190-191

Archosauriformes Gauthier, Kluge and Rowe, 1988

DEFINITION: Node: The least inclusive clade containing Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti, 1768 , and Proterosuchus fergusi Broom, 1903 (new).

TEMPORAL RANGE: Late Permian ( Archosaurus rossicus Tatarinov, 1960 ) to Recent ( Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti, 1768 ).

SUPPORT: Archosauriformes is a wellsupported node recovered here, as found in all basal archosaur phylogenies containing non-archosauriform archosauromorphs, Proterosuchus , and other archosaurs ( Juul, 1994; Bennett, 1996; Benton, 2004). Archosauriformes is supported by seven unambiguous synapomorphies including: (1) Absence of a parietal foramen (63-1)*. (2) Jugal-quadratojugal contact (70-1)*. (3) Ectopterygoid forms all of the lateral edge of the lateral pterygoid flange (88-1)*. (4) Ossified laterosphenoid present (92-1)*. (5) Antorbital fenestra present (136-1)*. Reversed in Alligator and Vancleavea . (6) Lateral mandibular fenestra present (138-1)*. Reversed in pterosaurs and Vancleavea . (7) Presence of tooth serrations (168-1)*.

Other possible synapomorphies: ACCTRAN: Tall and narrow orbit (142-1).