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Genus of caiman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Melanosuchus is a genus of caiman. The black caiman of South America is the sole extant (living) species, and is the largest living member of the subfamily Caimaninae, as well as the entire alligator family Alligatoridae.
Melanosuchus Temporal range: Late Miocene-Present, | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Archosauromorpha |
Clade: | Archosauriformes |
Order: | Crocodilia |
Family: | Alligatoridae |
Subfamily: | Caimaninae |
Clade: | Jacarea |
Genus: | Melanosuchus Gray, 1862 |
Species | |
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There are two known valid species of Melanosuchus, one extant and one extinct:
Melanosuchus fisheri, named by Medina in 1976, from the Late Miocene Urumaco Formation of Venezuela is now considered as a nomen dubium,[1][2] and probably synonymous with Melanosuchus niger.[3]
Melanosuchus is a member of the subfamily Caimaninae, which contains the two other extant genera Caiman and Paleosuchus, all of which are native to South and Central America. The below cladogram shows the relationships of all extant genera within Crocodilia (excluding separate extinct taxa), based on molecular phylogenetic studies.[4][5][6][7]
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