Rauisuchia Translation and Pronunciation Guide

Ben Creisler

Bromsgroveia Galton 1985 "for Bromsgrove"

bromz-GROH-vee-a (Bromsgrove + -ia) (f) named for the Bromsgrove Sandstone Formation, Warwick, England, where the fossil was found. Poposauridae L. Trias. Eur.

Chatterjeea Long & Murry 1995 "for Chatterjee"

chat-uhr-JEE-a ((S.) Chatterjee + -a) (f) named to honor Sankar Chatterjee, Indian-born vertebrate paleontologist working in the United States, discoverer of the holotype material in Garza County, Texas. Chatterjeea is a rather small bipedal form based on postcranial material Long and Murry separated from remains Chatterjee originally attributed to juveniles of the genus Postosuchus. (Long and Murry now restore Postosuchus as a quadruped rather than as an upright biped as previously depicted based on limb material belonging to Chatterjeea.) According to Long and Murry, an unusual toothless skull found with the same Postosuchus material and currently identified as a Triassic ornithomimid dinosaur called Shuvosaurus may belong to Chatterjeea instead, in which case the name Shuvosaurus would have priority for the rauisuchian genus. Chatterjeeidae L. Trias. NA. [= ?Shuvosaurus]

Cladeiodon Owen 1841 "pruning (knife) tooth"

kla-DIE-o-don (for Gr. kladeuo "prune" + Gr. odon "tooth")* (m) Owen explains: "from the resemblance of the tooth to a pruning-knife," borrowing an analogy first made by Buckland concerning the teeth of Megalosaurus, which the latter compared to pruning knives. Agassiz (1846) emended Owen's spelling to Cladevodon (wrongly cited by Romer (1956) as "Claderodon"). Owen also used the spelling Cladyodon. [= nomen dubium (?Teratosaurus)]

Ctenosauriscus Kuhn 1964 "comb lizard"

TEN-o-saw-RIS-kus (Gr. kten- (kteis) "comb" + Gr. sauros "lizard" + -iscus) (m) named for the tall erect spines along its back; to replace preoccupied Ctenosaurus von Huene. ?Rauisuchia Ctenosauriscidae L. Trias. Eur.

Ctenosaurus von Huene 1902 "comb lizard"

TEN-o-SAWR-us (Gr. kten- (kteis) "comb" + Gr. sauros "lizard") (m) named for the tall, erect spines along its back; originally misclassified as a Triassic fin-backed pelycosaur (preoccupied by Ctenosaurus Fitzinger 1843. See Ctenosauriscus)

Dolichobrachium Williston 1904 "long arm"

DOL-i-ko-BRAK-ee-um (Gr. dolikhos "long" + Lat. brachium (Gr. brakhion)"arm") (n) named for the humerus: "...the shape of the humerus, and its mode of articulation indicate a swift-moving crawling reptile of considerable size." Poposauridae L. Trias. NA. [nomen dubium]

Dongusuchus Sennikov 1988 "Donguz River (Russia) crocodile"

DON-goo-SOOK-us (Donguz + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the Donguz River in the southern Urals, central Russia, where the type specimen was found. Rauisuchia i. s. M. Trias. EEur.

Energosuchus Ochev 1986 "active crocodile"

e-NER-go-SOOK-us (Gr. energeia "action, energy" + Gr. soukhos "crocodile")* (m) named to indicate an active carnivore. Rauisuchia i. s. M. Trias. EEur.

Fasolasuchus Bonaparte 1981 "Fasola's crocodile"

fah-SOH-lah-SOOK-us ((T. H.) Fasola + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named to honor Tomas H. Fasola, who found the holotype during explorations of the Los Colorados Formation in La Rioja Province, Argentina. Rauisuchidae L. Trias. SA.

Fenhosuchus Young 1964 "Fen River (China) crocodile"

fuhn-huh-SOOK-us (Fen Ho + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the Fen He [Ho] (River) in Shanxi Province, China, where the fossil was found near Wuxiang. Rauisuchidae L. Trias. EAs.

Gracilisuchus Romer 1972 "graceful crocodile"

GRAS-i-li-SOOK-us (Lat. gracilis "slender, gracile" + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) "The generic name refers to the obviously graceful build of the little reptile." Rauisuchia i.s. M. Trias. SA.

Heptasuchus Dawley, Zawiskie & Cosgriff 1979 "seven crocodile"

HEP-ta-SOOK-us (Gr. hepta "seven" + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) perhaps alluding to "1977," the year the incomplete specimen was discovered. Poposauridae L. Trias. NA.

Jaikosuchus Sennikov 1990 "Ural River (Russia) crocodile"

yah-EE-ko-SOOK-us (Jaik [= Yaik] + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the Ural River (once called the Yaik [yah-EEK]), near where the specimen was found in central Russia. Rauisuchia i. s. Trias. EEur.

Jushatyria Sennikov 1985 "for Yushatyr River (Russia)"

yoo-sha-TIR-ee-a (Jushatyr [= Yushatyr'] + -ia) (f) named for the Bol'shaya Yushatyr' [Jushatyr] River, southern Urals, Russia, the region where the fossil was found. Rauisuchia i. s. M. Trias. EEur.

Kladeisteriodon Plieninger 1846 "pruning-knife tooth"

klad-EIS-te-RIE-o-don (for Gr. kladeusterion "pruning-knife" + Gr. -odon "tooth) (m) emended name for Cladeiodon Owen. [= ?Teratosaurus]

Lotosaurus Zhang 1975 "lotus lizard" [Fuqulong]

LOH-to-SAWR-us (Gr. lotos "lotus" + Gr. sauros "lizard") (m) referring to the "Lotus Kingdom" [Fuquguo], another name for Hunan Province, China, where the fossils were found; an unusual sail-backed form, with toothless jaws indicated in the type species name edentus "toothless." Parrish (1993) and others have included Lotosaurus in the Rauisuchia; some researchers suggest it may be related to the poorly understood sail-backed Ctenosauriscus. ?Rauisuchia ?Ctenosauriscidae M. Trias China

Luperosuchus Romer 1971 "troublesome crocodile"

luh-PEER-o-SOOK-us (for Gr. lyperos "troublesome" + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named to indicate the "fragmentary and perplexing nature of the type material," which made the specimen difficult to restore and describe accurately. Rauisuchidae M. Trias. SA.

Lythrosuchus Long & Murry 1995 "gore crocodile"

LITH-ro-SOOK-us (Greek lythros "gore" + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named to indicate a fierce predator; based on limb and pelvic material, and cervical vertebrae. Poposauridae L. Trias. NA.

Mandasuchus Charig in Krebs 1976 "Manda Formation crocodile"

MAHN-dah-SOOK-us (Manda + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the Manda Formation in Tanzania, where the specimen was found; a rather graceful slender form. Rauisuchia i. s. M. Trias. EAfr. (NOTE: The status of this name is not clear; although the name has appeared in the literature, usually in quotes, no formal description has been published yet.)]

Palaeosauriscus Kuhn 1959 "ancient lizard"

PAY-lee-o-saw-RIS-kus (Palaeosaurus + -iscus) (m) to replace preoccupied Palaeosaurus Riley & Stutchbury i.s. L. Trias. Eur. [nomen dubium]

Palaeosaurus Riley & Stutchbury 1836 "ancient lizard"

PAY-lee-o-SAWR-us (Gr. palaios "ancient" + Gr. sauros "lizard") (m) based on a single tooth; preoccupied by Palaeosaurus Geoffroy. See Palaeosauriscus.

Poposaurus Mehl 1915 "Popo Agie lizard"

POH-poh-SAWR-us (Popo (from Crow Indian popo agie "head (water) river") + Gr. sauros "lizard") (m) named for the Popo Agie River, along which the type specimen was found in the Triassic red beds near Lander, Wyoming, by Prof. E. B. Branson. Poposauridae L. Trias. NA.

Postosuchus Chatterjee 1985 "Post (Texas) crocodile"

POH-sto-SOOK-us (Post (for C. W. Post, who founded the town in 1907) + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the town of Post, near where the type fossil was found in Garza County, west Texas. Chatterjee restored the genus as a biped, based in part on limb material that Long and Murry (1995) now attribute to the separate rauisuchian taxon Chatterjeea. According to Long and Murry, Postosuchus was a quadrupedal rauisuchid, not a "bipedal" poposaurid; they attribute ilia from Chatterjee's original Postosuchus material to the new poposaurid genus Lythrosuchus. Rauisuchidae L. Trias. NA.

Prestosuchus von Huene 1942 "Presto's crocodile"

PRES-to-SOOK-us ((V.) Presto + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named to honor Vicentino Presto, the Brazilian fossil collector who found the lower jaw in 1925 west of Chiniqua, Brazil. He led von Huene back to the spot in 1928 to remove the rest of the type skeleton, though much of the type skull had weathered away in the meantime. Rauisuchidae M. Trias. SA.

Rauisuchia Bonaparte 1975 "Rau's crocodiles"

ROW-i-SOOK-ee-a ((W.) Rau + Gr. soukhos "crocodile" + -ia) (n)

Rauisuchus von Huene 1942 "Rau's crocodile"

ROW-i-SOOK-us ((W.) Rau + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named to honor Dr. Wilhelm Rau, a German medical doctor from Santa Maria, Brazil, who collected local fossils, sent specimens to von Huene, and later helped with field work during von Huene's expeditions to that region of South America. Rau published technical papers in paleobotany and paleontology. Rauisuchidae M. Trias. SA.

Saurosuchus Reig 1959 "dinosaur crocodile"

SAWR-o-SOOK-us (Gr. sauros "lizard" + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) alluding to the resemblance of the animal's huge skull to that of a carnivorous saurischian dinosaur. According to Reig: "Although the cranial morphology is very closely related to that of Ornithosuchus, and is more related to that of an ornithosuchian than to that of a saurischian, the enormous size of the skull... made us think at first that we were in the presence of a carnivorous dinosaur." A very large form (7 meters (23 ft.)) long, now classified as a rauisuchian rather than an ornithosuchian. Rauisuchidae L. Trias. SA.

Sillosuchus Alcober & Parrish 1997 "Sill's crocodile"

SILL-o-SOOK-us (W. Sill + Greek soukhos "crocodile") (m) "named after William Sill, in recognition of his numerous and significant contributions to both South American Triassic paleontology and the systematics and anatomy of basal archosaurs"; for a large (est. 3 m. long) poposaurid from the Ischigualasto Formation (Carnian), in San Juan Province, northwestern Argentina. It had a distinctive neck with elongated vertebrae, expressed in the Latin type species name longicervix "long neck." Poposauridae L. Trias. SA.

Smilodon Plieninger 1846 "knife tooth"

SMIE-lo-don (Gr. smile "knife, chisel, blade" + Gr. odon "tooth") (m) named for the blade-like shape of the tooth. (Preoccupied by Smilodon Lund 1842 (Mammalia). See Zanclodon.) [= Zanclodon]

Spinosuchus von Huene 1932 "spine crocodile"

SPIEN-o-SOOK-us (Lat. spina "spine, backbone" + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the tall neural spines along its back; the original type material appears to include parts of herrerasaurs and other archosaurs or diaspids, and is thus problematical. i.s. L. Trias. NA. [nomen dubium]

Stagonosuchus von Huene 1938 "stagonolepid-crocodile"

sta-GON-o-SOOK-us (from Stagono(lepis) + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the supposed resemblance of the skull (with a broad roof at the back) to that of Stagonolepis; originally misclassified as a large "stagonolepid" aetosaur. Rauisuchidae M. Trias EAfr.

Teratosaurus von Meyer 1861 "monster lizard"

te-RAT-o-SAWR-us (c.u.: TER-a-to-SAWR-us) (Gr. terat- (teras) "monster, prodigy" + Gr. sauros "lizard") (m) named for the large powerful teeth in part of an upper jaw (maxilla). Von Meyer was unsure if the genus belonged to his Pachypoda (= Dinosauria). However, some later authors (von Huene, Osborn, Colbert, etc.) incorrectly attributed postcranial material from prosauropods to the genus, leading to the longtime misidentification of the form as a primitive carnivorous dinosaur, supposedly ancestral to later theropods. Benton (1986) redefined Teratosaurus as a nondinosaurian archosaur, based only on the skull material. Rauisuchidae L. Trias. Eur.

Ticinosuchus Krebs 1965 "Tessin River (Switzerland) crocodile"

ti-SIEN-o-SOOK-us (Ticinus, ancient Latin name for the Tessin River + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the Tessin River, near Monte San Giorgio, Canton Tessin, Switzerland, where the type fossil was found. The trackways called Chirotherium "hand beast" were probably made by Ticinosuchus. Rauisuchia i. s. M. Trias Eur.

Tikisuchus Chatterjee & Majumdar 1987 "Tiki Formation (India) crocodile"

TEE-kee-SOOK-us (Tiki + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the Tiki Formation of Son-Mahandi Valley, near Tiki village, Shadol District, Madhya Pradesh, central India, where the fossil was found. Rauisuchia i. s. M. Trias. India

Tsylmosuchus Sennikov 1990 "Tsilma River (Russia) crocodile"

TSIL-mo-SOOK-us (Tsylma [Tsil'ma] + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the Tsil'ma River, near where the fossil was found in the southern Urals region of Russia. Rauisuchia i. s. M. Trias. EEur.

Vjushkovisaurus Ochev 1982 "Vyushkov's lizard"

vyoosh-KOV-i-SAWR-us ((B. P.) Vy'ushkov + Gr. sauros "lizard") (m) named to honor Boris Pavlovich V'yushkov (1926--1958), Russian vertebrate paleontologist; for a form found in the Donguz River region of the southern Urals region of Russia. Rauisuchia i. s. M. Trias. EEur.

Vytshegdosuchus Sennikov 1988 "Vychegda River (Russia) crocodile"

vi-CHEG-do-SOOK-us (Vychegda + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named for the Vychegda River, near where the fossil was found in the southern Urals region of Russia. Rauisuchidae L. Trias. EEur.

Wangisuchus Young 1964 "Wang's crocodile" [Wang-shi-e]

WAHNG-i-SOOK-us (Wang + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named to honor Wang Tze-Yi, noted Chinese paleontologist; for a form found near Wuxiang, Shanxi Province, China. i.s. L. Trias EAs. (China)

Youngosuchus Sennikov 1985 "Yang's crocodile"

YUHNG-o-SOOK-us (Young [= Yang] + Gr. soukhos "crocodile") (m) named to honor Yang Zhong Jian [Chung-chien Young] (1897--1979), famous Chinese vertebrate paleontologist, who first described the form as Vyushkovia sinensis Young 1973. Rauisuchia i. s. Trias. China

Zanclodon Plieninger 1846 "sickle tooth"

ZANG-klo-don (Gr. zagkle "sickle, scythe" + Gr. odon "tooth") (m) to replace repreoccupied Smilodon, for large blade-like teeth; formerly used by some authors as a synonym for the dinosaur Plateosaurus, then considered a carnivorous theropod. i.s. L. Trias. Eur. [nomen dubium]

Zatomus Cope 1871 "thorough cutter"

ZAT-o-mus (Gr. za "very, much" + Gr. tomo "cut" + -us) (m) named for isolated blade-like teeth; formerly identified as a dinosaur. Rauisuchia i.s. L. Trias. NA [nomen dubium]