Palaeos		Archosauromorpha
Vertebrates		Classification

Archosauromorpha: Classification

DIAPSIDA
|--LEPIDOSAUROMORPHA
|
`--ARCHOSAUROMORPHA
   |=="Protorosauridae"
   `--+?--CHORISTODERA
      |??-CHELONII (molecular phylogeny)
      |?--Helveticosaurus
      `--+--Rhynchosauria
         `--+--Trilophosauria
            `--+--Prolacertiformes
               |--Drepanosauridae
               `--ARCHOSAURIA

This classification is based mainly on Carroll (1988), as the most recent comprehensive linnaean classification of the Vertebrates, with more recent groups added. Each taxon is listed by rank, name, and original author, and followed by a short description. The pages is rather stubby at the moment, but will hopefully be developed further.

For the phylogenetic arrangement, see the dendrogram page MAK120312

Infraclass Archosauromorpha Huene, 1946 Archosaurs and their relatives, one of the two major diapsid clades
  Order Protorosauria Lydekker, 1888 a varied and paraphyletic assemblage of small to large, lizard-like reptiles, Late Perm to Late Trias, cosmopolitan
     Family Protorosauridae Lydekker, 1888 (ancestral archosauromorphs, semiaquatic - Late Perm to Early Trias of Eur)
     Family Prolacertidae Parrington, 1935 (paraphyletic assemblage or watsebasket taxon of medium-long necked lizard-like forms, faculatively bipedal Early to Late Trias, Cosm)
     Family Tanystropheidae Gervais, 1858 long necked, mostly semi-aquatic forms, may be several parallel or only distantly related protorosaurs, Mid to Late Trias, Eur, N Am, & China
      Subfamily Macrocneminae Kuhn, 1946 - shorter neck, may be a distinct family but here re-ranked as subfamily. Monotypal, Mid Trias of Eur
      Subfamily Dinocephalosaurinae (informal) informal monotypal subfamily for Dinocephalosaurus orientalis - many neck vertebrae - Mid Trias of China
      Subfamily Tanystropheinae - here used for specialised long-necked forms, length to 6 meters (mostly neck), Mid to Late Trias, Eur & N Am
     Family Drepanosauridae Berman and Reisz 1992 (= Drepanosauromorpha Renesto et al., 2010) small, aboreal, chameleon-like forms, Late Trias, Eur & N Am
  Order Helveticosauria Peyer, 1955 (monotypal)
     Family Helveticosauridae Peyer, 1955 (bizarre aquatic forms, Mid Trias of Eur)
  Order Trilophosauria Romer 1956
     Family Variodentidae Tatarinov, 1964 (monotypal, small lizard-like archosaurs with procolophon-like dentition, Variodens inopinatus, Late Trias of Eur)
     Family Trilophosauridae Gregory, 1945 (monotypal, large lizard-like herbivores, Trilophosaurus, Late Trias of N Am)
  Order Rhynchosauria Osborn, 1903 (herbivores with efficient curtting and grinding teeth, four subfamilies constitute a progressive evolutionary series Trias, Cosm.)
     Family Rhynchosauridae Huxley, 1887 (only family in order; alternatively the four subfamilies could each be considered a family, although that may be excessive taxonomic inflation)
      Subfamily Mesosuchinae Haughton, 1924 (lizard-like basal forms - Early to Early Mid Trias, Sth Afr)
      Subfamily Howesiiane Watson, 1917 (monotypal lizard-like primitive form - Howesia browni - Earliy Mid Trias of Sth Afr)
      Subfamily Rhynchosaurinae Cope, 1870 (= Family: Stenaulorhynchidae, Kuhn, 1933) - intermediate forms, typical rhynchosaurs - Mid Trias of Eur & Afr
      Subfamily Hyperodapedontinae Lydekker, 1885; (= Family: Hyperodapedontidae Lydekker, 1885 = Family: Paradapedontidae Huene, 1938) advanced and abundant large (1.5 m) rhynchosaurs with wide skulls and complex dentition, Late Trias, Cosmpol