Benthosuchus (meaning "deep water crocodile") is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Early Triassic of Russia.
Some recent phylogenetic studies have removed Benthosuchus from Trematosauroidea entirely, placing it as a closer relative of Mastodonsauroidea, another group of Triassic temnospondyls.
[5] Benthosuchus skull is about 0.75 m long (it is comparatively short in young individuals but lengthens with age), and the overall body length is about 2.5 m. It existed in widely overflowing rivers of the East Russian Depression.
Below is a cladogram from Fortuny et al. (2011) showing the phylogenetic placement of Benthosuchus:[8] Lydekkerina huxleyi Rhineceps nyasaensis Uranocentrodon senekalensis Wetlugasaurus angustifrons Odenwaldia heidelbergensis Vladlenosaurus alexeyevi Edingerella madagascariensis Watsonisuchus spp.
Quasicyclotosaurus campi Parotosuchus orenburgensis Calmasuchus acri Cyclotosaurus robustus Tatrasuchus wildi Eryosuchus garjainovi Mastodonsaurus giganteus Benthosuchus sushkini Thoosuchus yakovlevi Angusaurus spp.