Rutiodon

Rutiodon; Temporal range: 237–208.5 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Skeleton of Rutiodon carolinensis (AMNH 1) in the American Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Pseudosuchia (?)
Order:	†Phytosauria
Family:	†Parasuchidae
Subfamily:	†Mystriosuchinae
Genus:	†Rutiodon; Emmons, 1856
Species
	†R. carolinensis (Emmons, 1856) (type); †R. manhattanensis (Huene, 1913);
Synonyms
	Palaeonornis; Emmons, 1857;

Rutiodon ("Wrinkle tooth") is an extinct genus of phytosaur belonging to the family Parasuchidae. It lived during the Late Triassic period, and was about 3 to 8 meters (10 to 26 ft) in length.^[1] Rutiodon is known from the eastern United States (North Carolina, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania).^[2]

Description

Fossil of R. carolinensis

Restoration of R. carolinensis

Like other phytosaurs, Rutiodon strongly resembled a crocodile, but its nostrils were positioned far back on the head, close to the eyes, instead of at the tip of the snout. It had enlarged front teeth, and a relatively narrow jaw, somewhat resembling that of a modern gharial. This suggests that this carnivore probably caught fish and it may also have snatched land animals from the waterside.^[1] Also, like modern crocodiles, its back, flanks, and tail were covered with bony armored plates.^[3]

Rutiodon was among the largest carnivorous animals of its environment, measuring 3–8 meters (10–26 ft) in length.

Species

The holotype of R. manhattanensis on display in the American Museum of Natural History

Skeleton of R. carolinensis viewed from the front

The type species of Rutiodon is R. carolinensis. A second species, R. manhattanensis, was discovered in 1910 near Fort Lee, New Jersey, and named in reference to its close proximity to Manhattan.^[4]

Phylogeny

Below is a cladogram from Stocker (2012):^[5]

Phytosauria

"Paleorhinus" scurriensis

Paleorhinus bransoni

"Paleorhinus" sawini

Phytosauridae

Brachysuchus megalodon

Angistorhinus

Rutiodon carolinensis

"Machaeroprosopus" zunii

Protome batalaria

Leptosuchomorpha

"Phytosaurus" doughtyi

TMM 31173-120

	Leptosuchus crosbiensis

	Leptosuchus studeri

Smilosuchus lithodendrorum

	Smilosuchus adamanensis

	Smilosuchus gregorii

Pravusuchus hortus

Pseudopalatinae

Pseudopalatus mccauleyi

	Mystriosuchus westphali

	Pseudopalatus pristinus

References

^ ^a ^b Gaines, Richard M. (2001). Coelophysis. ABDO Publishing Company. p. 21. ISBN 1-57765-488-9.
^ Michelle R. Stocker (2010). "A new taxon of phytosaur (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Late Triassic (Norian) Sonsela Member (Chinle Formation) in Arizona, and a critical reevaluation of Leptosuchus Case, 1922". Palaeontology. 53 (5): 997–1022. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00983.x.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 95. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
^ Huene, Friedrich R. (1913). "A new phytosaur from the Palisades near New York. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 32, article 15". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Stocker, M. R. (2012). "A new phytosaur (Archosauriformes, Phytosauria) from the Lot's Wife beds (Sonsela Member) within the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic) of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (3): 573–586. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.649815. S2CID 129527672.