Mandasuchus
Encyclopedia
"Mandasuchus" is an extinct genus
of prestosuchid
rauisuchia
n that is yet to be formally described. Thus, the name is considered a nomen nudum
. Fossil
s have been found from the Manda Formation of Tanzania
and date back to the Ladinian
or Anisian
stage of the Middle Triassic
. The name was first used in a 1957 doctoral dissertation by Alan J. Charig
of the University of Cambridge
along with "Teleocrater
", another nomen nudum then considered to be a dinosaur
. Several well preserved specimens have been found, although there is little cranial material.
The family Prestosuchidae was constructed in 1967 by Alfred Romer
to include "Mandasuchus" and three other formally named genera of rauisuchians. Charig and two coauthors suggested in a 1965 study dealing with saurischia
ns that "Mandasuchus" was a possible ancestor of the prosauropods, although no explanation was given for these claims, which are now considered to be highly unlikely. In his 1993 study of the phylogeny of Crocodylotarsi, J. Michael Parrish suggested that "Mandasuchus" is a junior synonym of European prestosuchid Ticinosuchus ferox
due to the extreme similarity of some homologous postcranial bones, while also mentioning that a final taxonomic determination of "Mandasuchus" should be postponed until Charig provided a published description of the material.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of prestosuchid
Prestosuchidae
Prestosuchids were a group of Triassic carnivorous archosaurs. They were large active terrestrial apex predators, ranging from around in length. They succeeded the Erythrosuchidae as the largest archosaurs of their time...
rauisuchia
Rauisuchia
Rauisuchia is a group of predatory and mostly large Triassic archosaurs. As a clade, Rauisuchia includes these Triassic forms and all crocodylomorphs, which are descendants of Triassic rauisuchians. The group in its traditional sense is paraphyletic, because it does not include crocodylomorph...
n that is yet to be formally described. Thus, the name is considered a nomen nudum
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
. Fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been found from the Manda Formation of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and date back to the Ladinian
Ladinian
The Ladinian is a stage and age in the Middle Triassic series or epoch. It spans the time between 237 ± 2 Ma and 228 ± 2 Ma...
or Anisian
Anisian
In the geologic timescale, the Anisian is the lower stage or earliest age of the Middle Triassic series or epoch and lasted from 245 million years ago until 237 million years ago, approximately...
stage of the Middle Triassic
Middle Triassic
In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided. It spans the time between 245 ± 1.5 Ma and 228 ± 2 Ma...
. The name was first used in a 1957 doctoral dissertation by Alan J. Charig
Alan J. Charig
Alan Jack Charig was an English palaeontologist and writer who popularised his subject on television and in books at the start of the wave of interest in dinosaurs in the 1970s....
of the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
along with "Teleocrater
Teleocrater
"Teleocrater" is the informal name given to an as yet undescribed genus of prehistoric reptile. It was an archosaur originally thought to be a dinosaur. The name "Teleocrater" was coined by English paleontologist Alan Charig in his 1956 doctoral dissertation, but has never been formally published...
", another nomen nudum then considered to be a dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
. Several well preserved specimens have been found, although there is little cranial material.
The family Prestosuchidae was constructed in 1967 by Alfred Romer
Alfred Romer
Alfred Sherwood Romer was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist and a specialist in vertebrate evolution.-Biography:...
to include "Mandasuchus" and three other formally named genera of rauisuchians. Charig and two coauthors suggested in a 1965 study dealing with saurischia
Saurischia
Saurischia meaning 'lizard' and ischion meaning 'hip joint') is one of the two orders, or basic divisions, of dinosaurs. In 1888, Harry Seeley classified dinosaurs into two orders, based on their hip structure...
ns that "Mandasuchus" was a possible ancestor of the prosauropods, although no explanation was given for these claims, which are now considered to be highly unlikely. In his 1993 study of the phylogeny of Crocodylotarsi, J. Michael Parrish suggested that "Mandasuchus" is a junior synonym of European prestosuchid Ticinosuchus ferox
Ticinosuchus
Ticinosuchus is an extinct genus of rauisuchian archosaur from the Middle Triassic of Switzerland and Italy.Ticinosuchus was about long, and its whole body, even the belly, was covered in thick, armoured scutes. The structure of the hips shows that its legs were placed under the body almost...
due to the extreme similarity of some homologous postcranial bones, while also mentioning that a final taxonomic determination of "Mandasuchus" should be postponed until Charig provided a published description of the material.