Rileyasuchus

Ry-lee-ah-su-kus.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Rileyasuchus (Riley’s crocodile).

Phonetic

Ry-lee-ah-su-kus.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Archosaouromorpha,‭ ‬Phytosauria.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

R.‭ ‬bristolensis‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains.

Known locations

England.

Time Period

Rhaetian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Two vertebrae and a humerus have been attributed to the genus.

In Depth

       Rileyasuchus was originally‭ ‬named as Rileyia,‭ ‬but was changed to Rileyasuchus when it was realised that Rileyia had been used to name a genus of hymenopteran insect.‭ ‬Aside from this Rileyasuchus has had a problematic taxonomic history with speculation that fossils of the dinosaur Thecodontosaurus may be mixed in with it.‭ ‬In addition to this the known fossils of Rileyasuchus are so undiagnostic that it would be very difficult to attribute further remains to the genus with certainty.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The chalcid genus Rileya.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Canadian Entomology‭ ‬20:191-195‭ ‬-‭ ‬L..‭ ‬O.‭ ‬Howard‭ ‬-‭ ‬1888. -‭ ‬�berischt �ber die Reptilien der Trias.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Geologische und Pal�ontologie Abhandlungen,‭ ‬Neu Folge‭ ‬8:97-156.‭ ‬-‭ ‬F.‭ ‬von Huene‭ ‬-‭ ‬1902. -‭ ‬On phytosaurian remains from the Magnesian Conglomerate of Bristol‭ (‬Rileya platyodon‭)‬.‭ ‬Annals and Magazine of Natural History,‭ ‬series‭ ‬8‭ ‬1:228-230.‭ ‬-‭ ‬F.‭ ‬von Huene‭ ‬-‭ ‬1908 -‭ ‬Die Familien der rezenten und fossilen Amphibien und Reptilien.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Meisenbach:Bamberg,‭ ‬79‭ ‬p.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Oskar Kuhn‭ ‬-‭ ‬1961. -‭ ‬Anatomy and systematics of the prosauropod dinosaur Thecodontosaurus antiquus from the upper Triassic of southwest England.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬20‭(‬1‭)‬:77-108.‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Benton,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Juul,‭ ‬G.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Storrs‭ & ‬P.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Galton‭ ‬-‭ ‬2000.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT