Editing Alligatoridae (section)

==Phylogeny==
[[File:Alligator olseni.jpg|thumb|''A. olseni'' fore limb]]
[[File:Alligator prenasalis.JPG|thumb|right|''Alligator prenasalis'' fossil]]
The superfamily [[Alligatoroidea]] includes all crocodilians (fossil and extant) that are more closely related to the American alligator than to either the [[Nile crocodile]] or the [[gharial]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Brochu |first=Christopher A. |title=Phylogenetic approaches toward crocodylian history |journal=Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences |volume=31 |year=2003 |pages=357–97 |doi=10.1146/annurev.earth.31.100901.141308 }}</ref> This is a [[stem-based taxon|stem-based]] definition for [[alligators]], and is more inclusive than the [[crown group]] Alligatoridae.<ref name="LeeYates2018">{{cite journal | author=Michael S. Y. Lee |author2=Adam M. Yates |date=27 June 2018 |title=Tip-dating and homoplasy: reconciling the shallow molecular divergences of modern gharials with their long fossil |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=285 |issue=1881 |pmid=30051855| doi=10.1098/rspb.2018.1071 |pmc=6030529 |doi-access=free}}</ref>  As a crown group, Alligatoridae only includes the [[last common ancestor]] of all [[extant taxon|extant]] (living) alligators, caimans, and their descendants (living or [[extinct]]), whereas Alligatoroidea, as a stem-based group, also includes more [[basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] extinct alligator ancestors that are more closely related to living alligators than to [[crocodiles]] or [[gavialids]]. When considering only living taxa ([[neontology]]), Alligatoroidea and Alligatoridae contain the same species.

The simplified [[cladogram]] below shows Alligatoridae's relationships to other [[extant taxon|extant]] (living) crocodilians.<ref name="LeeYates2018"/><ref name="Rio2021">{{cite journal |last1=Rio |first1=Jonathan P. |last2=Mannion |first2=Philip D. |date=6 September 2021 |title=Phylogenetic analysis of a new morphological dataset elucidates the evolutionary history of Crocodylia and resolves the long-standing gharial problem |journal=[[PeerJ]] |volume=9 |page=e12094 |doi=10.7717/peerj.12094 |pmid=34567843 |pmc=8428266 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Hekkala2021">{{Cite journal |last1=Hekkala |first1=E. |last2=Gatesy |first2=J. |last3=Narechania |first3=A. |last4=Meredith |first4=R. |last5=Russello |first5=M. |last6=Aardema |first6=M. L. |last7=Jensen |first7=E. |last8=Montanari |first8=S. |last9=Brochu |first9=C. |last10=Norell |first10=M. |last11=Amato |first11=G. |date=2021-04-27 |title=Paleogenomics illuminates the evolutionary history of the extinct Holocene "horned" crocodile of Madagascar, ''Voay robustus'' |journal=[[Communications Biology]] |language=en |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=505 |doi=10.1038/s42003-021-02017-0 |pmid=33907305 |pmc=8079395 |issn=2399-3642 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%
|label1='''[[Crocodylia]]'''
|sublabel1=([[crown group]])
|1={{clade
 |label1=[[Alligatoroidea]]
 |sublabel1=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
 |1={{clade |state1=dashed
  |1=''[[Leidyosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
  |2={{clade
   |label1=[[Diplocynodontinae]]{{extinct}}
   |1=''[[Diplocynodon]]''{{extinct}}
   |label2=[[Globidonta]]
   |sublabel2=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
   |2={{clade
    |1=extinct [[basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] Alligatoroid Globidontans{{extinct}}
    |label2='''Alligatoridae'''
    |sublabel2=([[crown group]])
    |2={{clade
     |label1=[[Caimaninae]]
     |sublabel1=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
     |1={{clade
      |1={{clade
       |1=''[[Caiman (genus)|Caiman]]'' [[File:Caiman crocodilus llanos white background.JPG|90 px]]
       |2=''[[Melanosuchus]]'' [[File:Melanosuchus niger white background.jpg|120 px]] }}
      |2=''[[Paleosuchus]]'' [[File:Dwarf Caiman white background.jpg|90 px]] }}
     |label2=[[Alligatorinae]]
     |sublabel2=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
     |2=''[[Alligator]]'' [[File:Alligator white background.jpg|100 px]] }} }} }} }}
 |2={{clade
  |1=extinct [[basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] Crocodilians{{extinct}} (possibly including [[Mekosuchinae]]{{extinct}})
  |label2=[[Longirostres]]
  |sublabel2=([[crown group]])
  |2={{clade
   |label1=[[Crocodyloidea]]
   |sublabel1=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
   |1={{clade
    |1=extinct [[basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] crocodiles{{extinct}}
    |2=[[Crocodylidae]] ([[crown group]]) [[File:Siamese Crocodile white background.jpg|90 px]] }}
   |label2=[[Gavialoidea]]
   |sublabel2=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
   |2={{clade
    |1=extinct [[basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] Gavialoids{{extinct}}
    |label2=[[Gavialidae]]
    |sublabel2=([[crown group]])
    |2={{clade
     |1=''[[Gavialis]]'' [[File:Gavialis gangeticus (Gharial, Gavial) white background.jpg|110 px]]
     |2=''[[Tomistoma]]'' [[File:Tomistoma schlegelii. white background.JPG|90 px]] }} }} }} }} }} }}

Alligatoridae contains eight living species: two alligators within [[Alligatorinae]], and the six caimans of [[Caimaninae]]. [[Phylogenetic]] studies using molecular DNA consistently resolve their relationships as follows:<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bittencourt |first1=Pedro Senna |last2=Campos |first2=Zilca |last3=Muniz |first3=Fabio de Lima |last4=Marioni |first4=Boris |last5=Souza |first5=Bruno Campos |last6=Da Silveira |first6=Ronis |last7=de Thoisy |first7=Benoit |last8=Hrbek |first8=Tomas |last9=Farias |first9=Izeni Pires |date=22 March 2019 |title=Evidence of cryptic lineages within a small South American crocodilian: the Schneider’s dwarf caiman ''Paleosuchus trigonatus'' (Alligatoridae: Caimaninae) |journal=[[PeerJ]] |volume=7 |page=e6580 |doi=10.7717/peerj.6580 |pmid=30931177 |pmc=6433001 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
{{clade
 |label1='''Alligatoridae'''
 |1={{clade
  |label1=[[Caimaninae]]
  |1={{clade
   |1={{clade
    |1=''Paleosuchus palpebrosus'' [[Cuvier's dwarf caiman]]
    |2=''Paleosuchus trigonatus'' [[Schneider's dwarf caiman]] }}
   |label2=[[Jacarea]]
   |2={{clade
    |1={{clade
     |1={{clade
      |1=''Caiman crocodilus'' [[Spectacled caiman]]
      |2=''Caiman yacare'' [[Yacare caiman]] }}
     |2=''Caiman latirostris'' [[Broad-snouted caiman]] }}
    |2=''Melanosuchus niger'' [[Black caiman]] }} }}
  |label2=[[Alligatorinae]]
  |2={{clade
   |1=''Alligator sinensis'' [[Chinese alligator]]
   |2=''Alligator mississippiensis'' [[American alligator]] }} }} }}

The below detailed cladogram shows one proposal for the internal relationships within Alligatoridae including fossil species, based on [[morphology (biology)|morphological]] analysis<ref name="Bona2018">{{Cite journal|author1=Paula Bona |author2=Martín D. Ezcurra |author3=Francisco Barrios |author4=María V. Fernandez Blanco |year=2018 |title=A new Palaeocene crocodylian from southern Argentina sheds light on the early history of caimanines |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=285 |issue=1885 |page=20180843 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2018.0843 |pmid=30135152 |pmc=6125902 }}</ref> (although the exact alligatoroid phylogeny is still disputed).
{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%
|label1='''[[Alligatoroidea]]'''
|sublabel1=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
|1={{clade
 |1=''[[Leidyosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
 |2={{clade
  |1=''[[Diplocynodon]]''{{extinct}}
  |label2='''Alligatoridae'''
  |sublabel2=([[crown group]])
  |2={{clade
   |label1=[[Alligatorinae]]
   |sublabel1=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
   |1={{clade
    |1=''[[Ceratosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
    |2=''[[Allognathosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
    |3=''[[Navajosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
    |4=''[[Arambourgia]]''{{extinct}}
    |5=''[[Procaimanoidea]]''{{extinct}}
    |6={{clade
     |1=''[[Wannaganosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
     |2={{clade
      |1=''[[Alligator prenasalis]]''{{extinct}}
      |2={{clade
       |1=''[[Alligator mcgrewi]]''{{extinct}}
       |2={{clade
        |1=''[[Alligator olseni]]''{{extinct}}
        |2={{clade
         |1=''Alligator sinensis'' [[Chinese alligator]]
         |2={{clade
          |1=''[[Culebrasuchus]]''{{extinct}}
          |2={{clade
           |1=''Alligator mississippiensis'' [[American alligator]]
           |2=''[[Alligator mefferdi]]''{{extinct}}
           |3=''[[Alligator thomsoni]]''{{extinct}} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}
   |label2=[[Caimaninae]]
   |sublabel2=([[stem-based taxon|stem-based group]])
   |2={{clade
    |1={{clade
     |1=''[[Stangerochampsa]]''{{extinct}}
     |2=''[[Albertochampsa]]''{{extinct}}
     |3=''[[Brachychampsa]]''{{extinct}} }}
    |2={{clade
     |1=''[[Protocaiman]]''{{extinct}}
     |2={{clade
      |1=''[[Gnatusuchus]]''{{extinct}}
      |2={{clade
       |1=''[[Globidentosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
       |2={{clade
        |1={{clade
         |1=''[[Eocaiman]]''{{extinct}}
         |2=''[[Notocaiman]]''{{extinct}} }}
        |2={{clade
         |1=''[[Kuttanacaiman]]''{{extinct}}
         |2={{clade
          |1={{clade
           |1=''[[Purussaurus]]''{{extinct}}
           |2=''[[Mourasuchus]]''{{extinct}} }}
          |2={{clade
           |1={{clade
            |1=''[[Necrosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
            |2=''[[Tsoabichi]]''{{extinct}}
            |3={{clade
             |1=''Paleosuchus trigonatus'' [[Smooth-fronted caiman]]
             |2=''Paleosuchus palpebrosus'' [[Cuvier's dwarf caiman]] }} }}
           |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Centenariosuchus]]''{{extinct}}
            |2={{clade
             |1={{clade
              |1=''Caiman latirostris'' [[Broad-snouted caiman]]
              |2=''Melanosuchus niger'' [[Black caiman]] }}
             |2={{clade
              |1={{clade
               |1=''Caiman yacare'' [[Yacare caiman]]
               |2=''Caiman crocodilus'' [[Spectacled caiman]] }}
              |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Caiman brevirostris]]''{{extinct}}
               |2={{clade
                |1=La Venta Caiman{{extinct}}
                |2=''[[Caiman wannlangstoni]]''{{extinct}}
}} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}