Megalosauroidea

Reconstruction of a Irritator

Worldwide

The Spinosauroidea (also Megalosauroidea or Torvosauroidea ) are a group of theropod dinosaurs. Grasp the families of Megalosauridae and Spinosauridae together. A cladistic description of the taxon successes by Paul C. Sereno in 1998 and 2005. Spinosauroidea are described in a derived line-based definition ( stem- based definition) as " Spinosaurus aegyptiacus and all taxa sharing a more recent ancestor with him than with Passer domesticus ( the House Sparrow ) ".

The monophyly of this group is confirmed by features in the structure of the skull and humerus. While the Megalosauridae rather lived in the Jura, the Spinosauridae were mainly residents of the Cretaceous period.

Although the term Megalosauroidea is older, but called for a long time a paraphyletic group based on current knowledge, which is why the name Spinosauroidea today enjoys the privilege.

Outer systematics

Within the Theropod include Spinosauroidea to Tetanurae ( " stiff tails", due to the bones connected by rods and thus stiffened tail vertebrae) and are the sister group of the Avetheropoda, which are divided into the Carnosauria and the progressive Coelurosauria.

The systematic position of the Spinosauroidea cladogram shows the following:

Ceratosauria

Spinosauroidea

Avetheropoda

Inside systematics

The Spinosauroidea divided into two sub-groups, which mainly Jurassic Megalosauridae and Spinosauridae who lived during the Cretaceous period especially. Cladogram to Benson:

Suchomimus

Irritator

Spinosaurus

Eustreptospondylus

Magnosaurus