NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Broad-nosed crocodile
Osteolaemus tetraspis Cope, 1861
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis), also known as the African dwarf crocodile, West African dwarf crocodile, broad-snouted crocodile (a name more often used for the Asian mugger crocodile) or bony crocodile, is an African osteolaemine crocodile that is also the smallest extant living species of crocodile.
Wikipedia contributors, Dwarf crocodile; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:51:31.151551+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Osteolaemus tetraspis Cope, 1861
- Name authority
- Cope, 1861
- Common name
- Broad-nosed crocodile
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Crocodylia
- Family
- Crocodylidae
- Genus
- Osteolaemus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderCrocodylia
- familyCrocodylidae
- genusOsteolaemus
- speciesOsteolaemus tetraspis Cope, 1861
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Osteolaemus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Osborn’s Dwarf crocodileOsteolaemus osborni (Schmidt, 1919) | CrocodylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Osteolaemus tetraspis tetraspis Wermuth & Mertens, 1961 Wermuth & Mertens, 1961 | synonym |
| Halcrosia afzelii Lilljeborg, 1867 Lilljeborg, 1867 | synonym |
| Halcrosia nigra Gray, 1867 Gray, 1867 | synonym |
| Crocodilus frontatus Murray, 1862 Murray, 1862 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Osteolaemus&species=tetraspis Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6TBCB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.