Eremosuchus

Eremosuchus
Temporal range: Eocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: Crocodylomorpha
Suborder: Notosuchia
Branch: Sebecosuchia
Genus: Eremosuchus
Buffetaut, 1989
Type species
E. elkoholicus
Buffetaut, 1989

Eremosuchus is an extinct genus of sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian. Fossils have been found from El Kohol, Algeria of Eocene age.[1] It had serrated, ziphodont teeth.

The genus was originally referred to the family Trematochampsidae in 1989. A close relation to the baurusuchids was also considered.[2] However, it was only tentatively assigned to this family on the basis of a few features of the cranial skeleton. Some features, such as a broad concave symphysis and laterally compressed teeth, are not restricted to the trematochampsids and occur in some sebecosuchians such as Baurusuchus and Sebecus. Other features such as the surangular forming part of the craniomandibular articulation can also be found in many basal mesoeucrocodylians. A later phylogenetic analysis placed Eremosuchus within the suborder Sebecosuchia.[3] It is now thought to be one of many putatively assigned sebecosuchians that cannot be firmly placed within any one family. It is thought to be the closest relative of the genus Pehuenchesuchus.[4]

References

  1. Carvalho, I. S.; Campos, A. C. A.; Nobre, P. H. (2005). "Baurusuchus salgadoensis, a new Crocodylomorpha from the Bauru Basin (Cretaceous), Brazil". Gondwana Research 8 (1): 11–30. doi:10.1016/S1342-937X(05)70259-8.
  2. Buffetaut, E. (1989). "A new ziphodont mesosuchian crocodile from the Eocene of Algeria". Palaeontographica 208: 1–10.
  3. Ortega, F.; Buscalioni, A. D.; Gasparini, Z. (1996). "Reinterpretation and new denomination of Atacisaurus crassiporatus (Middle Eocene; Issel, France) as cf. Iberosuchus (Crocodylomorpha, Metasuchia)". Geobios 29 (3): 353–364. doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(96)80037-4.
  4. Turner, A. H.; Calvo, J. O. (2005). "A new sebecosuchian crocodyliform from the late cretaceous of Patagonia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25 (1): 87–98. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0087:ANSCFT]2.0.CO;2.
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