Mahajangasuchidae

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Subsectio: Pseudosuchia
Cladus: Suchia
Cladus: Paracrocodylomorpha
Cladus: Loricata
Superordo: Crocodylomorpha
Ordo: Crocodilia

Familia: †Mahajangasuchidae
Genera: Kaprosuchus – Mahajangasuchus

[list of genera after Sereno & Larsson (2009)]
Name

†Mahajangasuchidae Sereno & Larsson, 2009
Type genus

†Mahajangasuchus Buckley & Brochu, 1999

References
cited sources

Sereno, P.C.; Larsson, H.C.E. 2009: Cretaceous crocodyliforms from the Sahara. ZooKeys, 28: 1–143. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.28.325 [Corrigenda in ZooKeys, 29: 73–74 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.29.368

Mahajangasuchidae is an extinct family of notosuchian[2][3] crocodyliforms. It currently contains two genera, Mahajangasuchus and Kaprosuchus, both of which lived during the Late Cretaceous in Gondwana. It is defined as the most inclusive clade containing Mahajangasuchus insignis but not Notosuchus terrestris, Simosuchus clarki, Araripesuchus gomesii, Baurusuchus pachecoi, Peirosaurus torminni, Goniopholis crassidens, Pholidosaurus schaumbergensis, or Crocodylus niloticus.[1] Phylogenetically, Mahajangasuchidae is placed just outside pholidosaurids and more derived neosuchians.[3]

Defining characters of the family include fused nasals, a jaw articulation below the posterior maxillary tooth row, a deep mandibular symphysis that is oriented anterodorsally, and the formation of a hornlike posterodorsal process from the squamosal and parietal (which is much more pronounced in Kaprosuchus).
Phylogeny
Skull of Kaprosuchus saharicus

Cladogram showing the phylogenetic relationship of Mahajangasuchidae within Neosuchia after Sereno and Larsson, 2009:[1]

Neosuchia	Sebecia   unnamed  Mahajangasuchidae    Mahajangasuchus     Kaprosuchus     unnamed   Pholidosauridae   unnamed   Laganosuchus   unnamed   Bernissartia   unnamed   Isisfordia     Crocodylia

 
 

In 2014, Mahajangasuchidae were grouped within Notosuchia:[2]

Notosuchia

Uruguaysuchidae   Araripesuchus tsangatsangana       Anatosuchus     Araripesuchus wegeneri         Araripesuchus buitreraensis       Araripesuchus gomesii       Araripesuchus patagonicus     Uruguaysuchus               Stolokrosuchus     Mahajangasuchidae   Kaprosuchus     Mahajangasuchus     Peirosauridae   Hamadasuchus       Gasparinisuchus     Lomasuchus     Montealtosuchus     Uberabasuchus                 Candidodon   Ziphosuchia   Libycosuchus       Simosuchus         Malawisuchus     Pakasuchus           Morrinhosuchus       Notosuchus       Coringasuchus     Labidiosuchus     Mariliasuchus   Sphagesauridae     Adamantinasuchus     Yacarerani           Caipirasuchus stenognathus       Caipirasuchus paulistanus     Caipirasuchus montealtensis           Sphagesaurus       Armadillosuchus     Caryonosuchus                     Chimaerasuchus       Comahuesuchus   Sebecosuchia   Pabwehshi   Baurusuchidae   Cynodontosuchus       Pissarrachampsa       Stratiotosuchus       Campinasuchus       Baurusuchus albertoi       Baurusuchus pachecoi     Baurusuchus salgadoensis                     Bergisuchus     Iberosuchus     Sebecidae     Lorosuchus     Pehuenchesuchus         Barinasuchus         Ayllusuchus     Bretesuchus         Lumbrera form     Langstonia     Sebecus     Zulmasuchus

 
 

The cladogram following by Nicholl et al. 2021:[3]

Notosuchia

Uruguaysuchidae   Araripesuchus tsangatsangana       Anatosuchus     Araripesuchus wegeneri         Araripesuchus buitreraensis       Araripesuchus gomesii       Araripesuchus patagonicus     Uruguaysuchus             Mahajangasuchidae   Kaprosuchus     Mahajangasuchus     Peirosauridae   Stolokrosuchus         Bayomesasuchus       Hamadasuchus     Antaeusuchus             Miadanasuchus     Barrosasuchus         Gasparinisuchus     Rukwasuchus       Uberabasuchus       Lomasuchus     Montealtosuchus                       Candidodon   Ziphosuchia   Libycosuchus       Simosuchus       Neuquensuchus       Pakasuchus     Malawisuchus     Xenodontosuchia Sphagesauria   Morrinhosuchus         Llanosuchus     Notosuchus         Labidiosuchus     Mariliasuchus   Sphagesauridae     Adamantinasuchus     Yacarerani         Caipirasuchus       Sphagesaurus       Caryonosuchus     Armadillosuchus                     Chimaerasuchus       Comahuesuchus     Razanandrongobe   Sebecosuchia Baurusuchidae   Cynodontosuchus       Pissarrachampsa     Campinasuchus       Stratiosuchus     Baurusuchus               Bergisuchus     Iberosuchus     Sebecidae     Ayllusuchus     Bretesuchus         Barinasuchus       Ogresuchus     Sebecus

 
 
See also

Sebecosuchia - another group of terrestrial crocodylomorphs.

References

Sereno, Paul; Larsson, Hans (2009-11-19). "Cretaceous Crocodyliforms from the Sahara". ZooKeys (28): 1–143. doi:10.3897/zookeys.28.325. ISSN 1313-2970.
Pol, D.; Nascimento, P. M.; Carvalho, A. B.; Riccomini, C.; Pires-Domingues, R. A.; Zaher, H. (2014). "A New Notosuchian from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil and the Phylogeny of Advanced Notosuchians". PLOS ONE. 9 (4): e93105. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...993105P. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0093105. PMC 3973723. PMID 24695105.
Nicholl CS, Hunt ES, Ouarhache D, Mannion PD (2021). "A second peirosaurid crocodyliform from the Mid-Cretaceous Kem Kem Group of Morocco and the diversity of Gondwanan notosuchians outside South America". Royal Society Open Science. 8 (10): Article ID 211254. doi:10.1098/rsos.211254. PMC 8511751. PMID 34659786.