Araripesuchus
| Araripesuchus Temporal range: Early - Late Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skull of A. wegeneri from different angles | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
| Clade: | Crocodylomorpha |
| Clade: | †Notosuchia |
| Family: | †Uruguaysuchidae |
| Genus: | †Araripesuchus Price, 1959 |
| Species | |
Araripesuchus is a genus of extinct crocodyliform that existed during the Cretaceous period of the late Mesozoic era some 125 to 66 million years ago.[1][2] Araripesuchus is generally considered to be a notosuchian (belonging to the clade Mesoeucrocodylia), characterized by the varied teeth types and distinct skull elements.[3] Seven species have been referred to Araripesuchus, though it has been argued that the phylogenetic position of this genus is uncertain, and that taxonomic revision is required.
Discovery and history
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The name of the genus was coined in 1959 with the description of the type species Araripesuchus gomesii, a notosuchian crocodylian from the famed Santana Group of the Araripe Basin in Brazil. The holotype used to describe the genus, 423-R is currently in the care of the Divisão de Mineralogia e Geologia do Departamento Nacional da Produção Mineral in Rio de Janeiro. 423-R consists of a single skull articulating with part of a lower jaw. A more complete specimen, AMNH 24450 is held by the American Museum of Natural History.[3] A second species, A. wegeneri was described in 1981. This species was discovered from Early Cretaceous deposits of Niger on the African continent, as opposed to the South American paleodistribution of the other species in the genus. The type specimen for the species, GDF-700 consisting of a few, fragmentary jaw elements, reside at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.[1] The holotype's fragmentary nature meant that its placement in the genus was disputed until more remains were found in 2009 by Sereno and Larsson; these, along with the specimens of A. tsangatsangana, confirmed its place.
Araripesuchus patagonicus was described from a patagonian specimen (MUC-PV 269) in 2000.[4] Another species to be assigned to the genus was Araripesuchus buitreraensis, described in 2005. This species was described from a single skull (MPCA-PV 235) retrieved from the Candeleros Formation in what is now Argentina. At 130 millimeters, the skull is the largest Araripesuchus specimen discovered to date.[5] A fifth species, Araripesuchus tsangatsangana was described in 2006. This species' type specimen was discovered from latest Late Cretaceous deposits from the African island of Madagascar. Analysis of this specimen solidifies the position of A. wegneri as a member of the genus. A. tsangatsangana is the geologically youngest known of this genus.[2] The sixth species, A. rattoides, was found in the Kem Kem Beds of the Sahara in a similar location to the specimens of A. wegeneri found by Sereno and Larsson, and is known only from parts of dentary bones, up to the fourteenth alveolus. It was described in the same paper as Kaprosuchus, Laganosuchus and Anatosuchus; the four were therefore popularized by the authors as 'RatCroc', 'BoarCroc', 'PancakeCroc' and 'DuckCroc' respectively.[6]
Description
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A. wegeneri is estimated to reach 81 centimetres (32 in) long while A. rattoides is estimated to reach up to