Crocodylus

Crocodylus is a genus of true crocodiles in the family Crocodylidae.

Crocodylus
Temporal range: Late Oligocene - recent, 25–0 Ma
Crocodylus
Mugger crocodile (C. palustris)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae
Subfamily: Crocodylinae
Genus: Crocodylus
Laurenti, 1768
Type species
Crocodylus niloticus
Laurenti, 1768
Species

See text

Crocodylus
Worldwide distribution of Crocodylus
Synonyms
    • Bombifrons Gray, 1862
    • Crocodillus Scopoli, 1777
    • Crocodilus Gmelin, 1789
    • Crocodilus Laurenti, 1768
    • Crocodylus Gronovius, 1763
    • Mecistops Gray, 1844
    • Molina Romer, 1956
    • Molinia Gray, 1862
    • Motinia Gray, 1844
    • Oopholis Gray, 1844
    • Oxycrocodylus Hoser, 2012
    • Palinia Gray, 1844
    • Philas Gray, 1874
    • Temsacus Gray, 1862

Taxonomy

The generic name, Crocodylus, was proposed by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768. Crocodylus contains 13–14 extant (living) species and 5 extinct species. There are additional extinct species attributed to the genus Crocodylus that studies have shown no longer belong, although they have not yet been reassigned to new genera.

Extant species

The 13–14 living species are:

Image Scientific name Taxon authority Common name Distribution
Crocodylus  Crocodylus acutus (Cuvier, 1807) American crocodile Southern Florida and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of north Mexico to North America as far south as Peru and Venezuela, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Grand Cayman.
Crocodylus halli Murray, Russo, Zorrilla & McMahan, 2019 Hall's crocodile southern New Guinea
Crocodylus  Crocodylus intermedius (Graves, 1819) Orinoco crocodile Colombia and Venezuela
Crocodylus  Crocodylus johnstoni Krefft, 1873 Freshwater crocodile Northern regions of Australia
Crocodylus  Crocodylus mindorensis Schmidt, 1935 Philippine crocodile Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park within the Luzon rainforest, San Mariano, Isabela, Dalupiri island in the Babuyan Islands, Abra (province) in Luzon and the Ligawasan Marsh, Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, Pulangi River in Bukidnon, and possibly in the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Mindanao
Crocodylus  Crocodylus moreletii (A.H.A. Duméril & Bibron, 1851) Morelet's crocodile or Mexican crocodile Mexico, Belize and Guatemala
Crocodylus  Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti, 1768 Nile crocodile or African crocodile, (the subspecies found in Madagascar, C. n. madagascariensis, is sometimes called the black crocodile) Israel and Syria (historically), Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Angola, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Sudan, South Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon
Crocodylus  Crocodylus novaeguineae Schmidt, 1928 New Guinea crocodile northern New Guinea
Crocodylus  Crocodylus palustris (Lesson, 1831) Mugger crocodile, marsh crocodile, or Indian crocodile southern Iran, southern Pakistan, southern Nepal, India, Sri Lanka
Crocodylus  Crocodylus porosus Schneider, 1801 Saltwater crocodile or estuarine crocodile Eastern India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and Northern Australia
Crocodylus  Crocodylus rhombifer (Cuvier, 1807) Cuban crocodile Cuba
Crocodylus  Crocodylus siamensis Schneider, 1801 Siamese crocodile Indonesia (Borneo and possibly Java), Brunei, East Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Crocodylus  Crocodylus suchus Geoffroy, 1807 West African crocodile or desert crocodile Mauritania, Benin, Liberia, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Gabon, Togo, Ivory Coast and Republic of Congo
Crocodylus raninus (Considered to be a synonym of Crocodylus porosus; its status remains unclear). S. Müller & Schlegel, 1844 Borneo crocodile Borneo

Fossils

Crocodylus also includes five extinct species:

Evolution

Crocodylus likely originated in Africa and radiated outwards towards Southeast Asia and the Americas, although an Australia/Asia origin has also been considered. Phylogenetic evidence supports Crocodylus diverging from its closest recent relative, the extinct Voay of Madagascar, around 25 million years ago, near the Oligocene/Miocene boundary.

Phylogeny

A 2018 tip dating study by Lee & Yates simultaneously using morphological, molecular (DNA sequencing), and stratigraphic (fossil age) data established the inter-relationships within Crocodylidae. In 2021, Hekkala et al. were able to use paleogenomics, extracting DNA from the extinct Voay, to better establish the relationships within Crocodylidae, including the subfamilies Crocodylinae and Osteolaeminae.

The below cladogram shows the results of the latest study:

Crocodylidae
Osteolaeminae

Brochuchus

Rimasuchus

Osteolaemus osborni Osborn’s dwarf crocodile

Osteolaemus tetraspis Dwarf crocodile

Crocodylinae

Voay

Crocodylus
Asia+Australia

Crocodylus johnstoni Freshwater crocodile Crocodylus 

Crocodylus novaeguineae New Guinea crocodile

Crocodylus mindorensis Philippine crocodile

Crocodylus porosus Saltwater crocodile Crocodylus 

Crocodylus siamensis Siamese crocodile Crocodylus 

Crocodylus palustris Mugger crocodile Crocodylus 

Africa+New World

Crocodylus suchus West African crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus Nile crocodile Crocodylus 

New World

Crocodylus moreletii Morelet's crocodile

Crocodylus rhombifer Cuban crocodile Crocodylus 

Crocodylus intermedius Orinoco crocodile

Crocodylus acutus American crocodile Crocodylus 

(crown group)

References

Tags:

Crocodylus TaxonomyCrocodylus EvolutionCrocodylus

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