Antarctosuchus Temporal range: Middle Triassic PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Holotype skull on display at the Field Museum of Natural History.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	†Temnospondyli
Suborder:	†Stereospondyli
Clade:	†Capitosauria
Superfamily:	†Mastodonsauroidea
Genus:	†Antarctosuchus Sidor, Steyer & Hammer, 2014
Type species
†Antarctosuchus polyodon Sidor, Steyer & Hammer, 2014

Antarctosuchus is an extinct genus of capitosauroid temnospondyl known from the Middle Triassic upper Fremouw Formation in the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. It contains a single species, Antarctosuchus polyodon.^[1]

Antarctosuchus was named by Christian A. Sidor, J. Sébastien Steyer and William R. Hammer in 2014 and the type species is Antarctosuchus polyodon. The generic name refers to Antarctica, where the only known specimen was collected, and suchus, a common suffix for temnospondyls Latinized from the Greek souchos, an Egyptian crocodile god. The specific name, polyodon, is derived from the Greek πολύς (polús) "much", "many" and ὀδών (odon), "tooth", in reference to its unique teeth morphology. Antarctosuchus is known solely from its holotype, a large and relatively complete skull. It was collected form the upper Fremouw Formation in the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica, dating to the Middle Triassic. To date, Antarctosuchus polyodon is the only other endemic temnospondyl species from the formation apart from Kryostega collinsoni, although indeterminate remains referred to benthosuchids and a cranial fragment assigned to Parotosuchus sp. have also been collected.^[1]

As its specific name suggests, Antarctosuchus polyodon is distinguished by the possession of numerous, extremely small maxillary, palatine, and ectopterygoid teeth, a dental pattern that suggests specialization on small prey, possibly invertebrates. Other autapomorphic features of this taxon are a parachoanal tooth row that extends far posterior to the choana and occipital condyles which are set close to the midline. Antarctosuchus possesses a relatively flat skull, low occiput and well-developed sensory canals, suggesting an aquatic lifestyle. A phylogenetic analysis places Antarctosuchus within Capitosauroidea, a clade of derived Triassic stereospondyls as the sister taxon to Paracyclotosaurus crookshanki from the Triassic Denwai Formation of India.^[1]

v t e Stereospondyli
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Tetrapodomorpha Order: Temnospondyli Tetrapodomorpha see Tetrapodomorpha Temnospondyli see Temnospondyli Stereospondyli see below↓
Stereospondyli Stereospondyli Arachana Capulomala Peltobatrachus Lapillopsidae Lapillopsis Manubrantlia Rhigerpeton Rotaurisaurus Rhinesuchidae Australerpeton? Broomistega Laccosaurus Parapytanga? Rastosuchus Rhineceps Rhinesuchoides Rhinesuchus Uranocentrodon Lydekkerinidae Chomatobatrachus Cryobatrachus Deltacephalus Eolydekkerina Indobenthosuchus Luzocephalus? Lydekkerina Capitosauria Antarctosuchus Bukobaja Calmasuchus Capitosaurus Cherninia Cyclotosaurus Edingerella Eocyclotosaurus Eryosuchus Heptasaurus Jammerbergia Kestrosaurus Kupferzellia Mastodonsaurus Meyerosuchus Odenwaldia Paracyclotosaurus Parotosuchus Quasicyclotosaurus Procyclotosaurus Promastodonsaurus Rhadalognathus Samarabatrachus Sassenisaurus Sclerothorax Selenocara Stanocephalosaurus Stenotosaurus Subcyclotosaurus Tatrasuchus Vladlenosaurus Volgasaurus Volgasuchus Warrenisuchus Watsonisuchus Wellesaurus Wetlugasaurus Xenotosuchus Yuanansuchus Trematosauria see below↓
Trematosauria Trematosauria Almasaurus Bothriceps Callistomordax Chinlestegophis Keratobrachyops Laidleria Latiscopus Qantas Rileymillerus Syrtosuchus Uruyiella Benthosuchidae Benthosuchus Kwatisuchus Trematosauridae Angusaurus Aphaneramma Cosgriffius Erythrobatrachus Gonioglyptus Hyperokynodon Icanosaurus Indolyrocephalus Inflectosaurus Lyrocephaliscus Microposaurus Panchetosaurus Platystega Prothoosuchus Stoschiosaurus Tertrema Tertremoides Thoosuchus Tirraturhinus Trematolestes Trematosuchoides Trematosaurus Trematosuchus Trematotegmen Wantzosaurus Metoposauridae Anaschisma Apachesaurus Arganasaurus Buettnererpeton Dutuitosaurus Metoposaurus Panthasaurus Rhytidosteidae Boreopelta Mahavisaurus Nanolania Peltostega Pneumatostega Rhytidosteus Sangaia Trucheosaurus Derwentiinae Arcadia Acerastia Deltasaurus Derwentia Indobrachyops Rewana Chigutisauridae Arenaerpeton Chigutisaurus Compsocerops Koolasuchus Pelorocephalus Siderops Brachyopidae Banksiops Bathignathus Batrachosaurus Batrachosuchoides Batrachosuchus Blinasaurus Brachyops Gobiops Hadrokkosaurus Notobrachyops Platycepsion Sinobrachyops Vanastega Vigilius Xenobrachyops Plagiosauridae Gerrothorax Megalophthalma Plagiobatrachus Plagiorophus Plagiosaurus Plagioscutum Plagiosternum Plagiosuchus
See also: Trematosauroidea Metoposauroidea Rhytidosteoidea Brachyopomorpha Brachyopoidea Plagiosauroidea Category