Osteolaemus

Genus of crocodiles

Osteolaemus
Dwarf crocodile
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae
Subfamily: Osteolaeminae
Genus: Osteolaemus
Cope, 1861
Type species
Osteolaemus tetraspis
Cope, 1861
Species

2, see text.

Osteolaemus is a genus of crocodiles.[1][2][3] They are small, secretive crocodiles that occur in wetlands of West and Middle Africa. They are commonly known as the African dwarf crocodiles.[2] Unlike other crocodiles, Osteolaemus are strictly nocturnal.[3]

Species

The following species are recognized as being valid.[1]

Image Scientific name Common name Distribution
Osteolaemus osborni Schmidt, 1919 Osborn's dwarf crocodile Democratic Republic of Congo
Osteolaemus tetraspis Cope, 1861 dwarf crocodile, African dwarf crocodile, broad-snouted crocodile, bony crocodile West and Middle Africa
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Osteolaemus.

Molecular data suggest that Osteolaemus tetraspis consists of two lineages that would warrant recognition as distinct species.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Osteolaemus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 3 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Eaton, Mitchell J.; Martin, Andrew; Thorbjarnarson, John & Amato, George (2009). "Species-level diversification of African dwarf crocodiles (genus Osteolaemus): A geographic and phylogenetic perspective". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 50 (3): 496–506. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.11.009.
  3. ^ a b Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. pp. 550–552. OCLC 839312807.
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Extant Crocodilian species
Family Alligatoridae (Alligators and caimans)
Alligatorinae
(Alligators)
Alligator
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Caimaninae
(Caimans)
Caiman
  • Spectacled caiman (C. crocodilus)
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  • Yacare caiman (C. yacare)
Melanosuchus
  • Black caiman (M. niger)
Paleosuchus
  • Cuvier's dwarf caiman (P. palpebrosus)
  • Smooth-fronted caiman (P. trigonatus)
Family Crocodylidae (True crocodiles)
Crocodylinae
Crocodylus
  • American crocodile (C. acutus)
  • Hall's New Guinea crocodile (C. halli)
  • Orinoco crocodile (C. intermedius)
  • Freshwater crocodile (C. johnstoni)
  • Philippine crocodile (C. mindorensis)
  • Morelet's crocodile (C. moreletii)
  • Nile crocodile (C. niloticus)
  • New Guinea crocodile (C. novaeguineae)
  • Mugger crocodile (C. palustris)
  • Saltwater crocodile (C. porosus)
  • Borneo crocodile (C. raninus)
  • Cuban crocodile (C. rhombifer)
  • Siamese crocodile (C. siamensis)
  • West African crocodile (C. suchus)
Osteolaeminae
Mecistops
  • West African slender snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus)
  • Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops leptorhynchus)
Osteolaemus
  • Dwarf crocodile (O. tetraspis)
  • Osborn’s dwarf crocodile (O. osborni)
Family Gavialidae
Gavialis
  • Gharial (G. gangeticus)
Tomistoma
  • False gharial (T. schlegelii)
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Taxon identifiers
Osteolaemus