Relationships of the I ndian phytosaur P arasuchus hislopi L ydekker, 1885

The neotype skull of the Indian phytosaur P arasuchus hislopi L ydekker, 1885 ( ISI R 42) is re‐evaluated and compared with the type material of other basal phytosaurs. P arasuchus hislopi is extremely similar to species previously placed in P aleorhinus ( P .  bransoni and P .  angustifrons ), sharing with them such characters as a series of nodes on the lateral surface of the jugal, paired ridges on the squamosal and a frontal depression. P arasuchus hislopi represents a valid species: it can be distinguished from P .  bransoni by a relatively low narial eminence and P .  angustifrons by the absence of paired nasal depressions. Inclusion of P arasuchus hislopi in a phylogenetic analysis of phytosaurs recovers it in a well‐supported clade with P .  bransoni and P .  angustifrons . P arasuchus is considered the senior synonym of P aleorhinus and A rganarhinus . P arasuchus (here considered to include P .  hislopi , P .  angustifrons , P .  bransoni and P .  magnoculus ) has a broad circum‐ P angaean distribution, with species occurring in the south‐western U nited S tates, M orocco, central E urope and I ndia. Phytosaur higher‐level taxonomy is also revised: Parasuchidae is redefined to include ‘ P aleorhinus ‐grade’ phytosaurs and the later‐diverging M ystriosuchinae (the group formerly known as P hytosauridae), and P seudopalatinae is renamed M ystriosuchini for reason of priority.