在1887到1890年之間,Karl Alfred von Zittel創造偽鱷類這名詞,包括三類(兩個堅蜥類與Dyoplax)外表類似鱷魚,但實際上不是鱷魚的動物。所以命名為「假的鱷魚」。
在20世紀中期,像是阿爾弗雷德·羅默(Alfred Sherwood Romer)的《Vertebrate Paleontology》與埃德溫·爾伯特(Edwin H. Colbert )的《Evolution of the Vertebrates》,偽鱷類是槽齒目中的一個亞目。Zittel命名的堅蜥類被放置在它們本身的亞目裡。埃德溫·爾伯特以小型主龍類做為範例,例如兔鱷與黃昏鱷,兩者在當時都被重建成像是獸腳亞目的二足動物,這些動物當時被推測是後來所有主龍類的祖先。偽鱷類後來卻成為槽齒目中,所有不被列入其他三個亞目的物種的集中分類。甚至沙洛維龍與長鱗龍都曾被認為是偽鱷。
^Nathan D. Smith, Nicole Klein, P. Martin Sander and Lars Schmitz. 2024. A New pseudosuchian from the Favret Formation of Nevada reveals that Archosauriforms occupied Coastal Regions globally during the Middle Triassic. Biol. Lett. 2020240136. DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0136
^Brochu, C.A. Synonymy, redundancy, and the name of the crocodile stem-group. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 1997, 17 (2): 448–449.
Benton, MJ & JM Clark (1988), Archosaur phylogeny and the relationships of the Crocodilia in MJ Benton (ed.), The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods 1: 295-338. Oxford, The Systematics Association
Gauthier, J., 1986. Saurischian monophyly and the origin of birds. In: K. Padian, ed. The Origin of Birds and the Evolution of Flight. Memoirs California Academy of Sciences 8. pp. 1–55
Gauthier, J. and K. Padian, 1985. Phylogenetic, functional, and aerodynamic analyses of the origin of birds and their flight. pp. 185–197 In: M.K. Hecht, J.H. Ostrom, G. Viohl and P. Wellnhofer, eds. The Beginnings of Birds: proceedings of the international Archaeopteryx conference; 1984; Eichstätt, Germany. Eichstätt: Freunde des Jura-Museums. pp. 185–197.
Senter, P. 2005. Phylogenetic taxonomy and the names of the major archosaurian (Reptilia) clades. PaleoBios, v. 25, n. 2, p. 1-7.
Re: Even more last papers for 2005 (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆) and follow up posts, on the Dinosaur Mailing List archives, for comments critical of applying "Pseudosuchia" in a cladistic context.