Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 17, 2026

Melitosaurus

Melitosaurus is an extinct genus of gavialid crocodylian discovered in Gozo, Malta in Early Miocene Aquitanian stage marine limestone rock in 1850. It is related to the extant (living) False gharial and a member of the same subfamily Tomistominae, as shown in the cladogram below:

Last revised

Jul 17, 2026

Read time

≈ 1 min

Length

223 w

Citations

2

Source

Melitosaurus Temporal range: Miocene,
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Crocodilia
Family:	Gavialidae
Subfamily:	Tomistominae
Genus:	†Melitosaurus Owen, 1850
Species
†Melitosaurus champsoides Owen, 1850 (type)

Melitosaurus is an extinct genus of gavialid crocodylian discovered in Gozo, Malta in Early Miocene Aquitanian stage marine limestone rock in 1850.¹ It is related to the extant (living) False gharial and a member of the same subfamily Tomistominae, as shown in the cladogram below:²

†Maroccosuchus zennaroi

†Megadontosuchus arduini

†Dollosuchoides densmorei

†Xaymacachampsa kugleri

	†Kentisuchus astrei

	†Kentisuchus spenceri

†Tomistoma cairense

†Tomistoma coppensi

†Maomingosuchus petrolica

Tomistoma schlegelii, false gharial

†Tomistoma lusitanicum

†Gavialosuchus eggenburgensis

†Melitosaurus champsoides

†Tomistoma calaritanum

†Tomistoma gaudense

	†Thecachampsa carolinensis

	†Thecachampsa antiqua

†Paratomistoma courti

†Penghusuchus pani

	†Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis

	†Hanyusuchus sinensis

	†Eosuchus lerichei

	†Eosuchus minor

†Ocepesuchus eoafricanus

†Eothoracosaurus mississippiensis

	†Thoracosaurus macrorhynchus

	†Thoracosaurus neocesariensis

†Aktiogavialis puertoricensis

†Eogavialis africanum

†Argochampsa krebsi

†Piscogavialis jugaliperforatus

†Ikanogavialis gameroi

†Siquisiquesuchus venezuelensis

†Dadagavialis gunai

†Gryposuchus neogaeus

†Gryposuchus croizati

	†Aktiogavialis caribesi

	†Gryposuchus pachakamue

†Gryposuchus colombianus

†Rhamphosuchus crassidens

†Myanmar gavialid

†Gavialis lewisi

†Gavialis bengawanicus

	Gavialis gangeticus, gharial

	†Siwalik Gavialis

References

References

"Melitosaurus champsoides". Fossilworks. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
Iijima M, Qiao Y, Lin W, Peng Y, Yoneda M, Liu J (2022). "An intermediate crocodylian linking two extant gharials from the Bronze Age of China and its human-induced extinction". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 289 (1970) 20220085. doi:10.1098/rspb.2022.0085. PMC 8905159. PMID 35259993.