Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of long-snouted notosuchian from the fragmentary remains found in Brazil’s Adamantina Formation.
Epoidesuchus tavaresae is a new species of Peirosauridae from the Cretaceous Adamantina Formation, Brazil. Image credit: Ruiz et al., doi: 10.1002/ar.25559.
Epoidesuchus tavaresae inhabited the ancient supercontinent Gondwana during the Late Cretaceous epoch, around 72 million years ago.
The ancient reptile was approximately 4 m (13 feet) in length, had a long, nearly tubular snout and possibly a semiaquatic lifestyle.
It belongs to Peirosauridae, a Gondwanan family of crocodylomorphs within the suborder Notosuchia.
“Notosuchia is a remarkably diverse group of extinct crocodyliforms, particularly in Cretaceous deposits of Gondwana, with more than 80 species described to date,” said lead author Dr. Juan Ruiz of FEIS-UNESP and his colleagues.
“Such taxonomic richness is also reflected in an unexpected ecological diversity, including completely terrestrial and semi-aquatic forms, a variety of feeding strategies, and presumably, the occupation of many different ecological niches.”
“The notosuchian fossil record is mostly restricted to the Cretaceous of Gondwanan landmasses, including North and Central Africa, Madagascar, and the Indian subcontinent, but it was in the Late Cretaceous of South America that the group achieved its peak in diversity.”
According to the paleontologists, Peirosauridae was originally described in 1982.
“Despite the description of several species of peirosaurids during the past 25 years and advances in the knowledge of the morphological and unique traits of the group, peirosaurids have been largely excluded from broader phylogenetic studies,” they said.
In their study, the researchers examined a fragmentary skull and one postcranial element of Epoidesuchus tavaresae.
The fossils were found in 2011 in an outcrop of the Adamantina Formation (Bauru Group) at the municipality of Catanduva, Northwestern Sao Paulo state, Brazil.
“Our results provide additional evidence for the presence of Peirosauridae comprising two lineages: the oreinirostrine Peirosaurinae and the longirostrine Pepesuchinae,” the scientists said.
“Additionally, the results of our morphospace analysis indicate that peirosaurids were ecomorphologically diverse, with species exhibiting either a more putative terrestrial ecology or more semi-aquatic habits, and with a great range of morphospace occupation, including spaces not explored by other notosuchians or neosuchians.”
“Pepesuchinae was widespread in Africa and South America during the Cretaceous,” they noted.
“This lineage is notable among notosuchians by possessing longer rostra, similar to generalist living crocodilians such Crocodylus and some caimans.”
“Pepesuchines are recorded from formations where semiaquatic neosuchians are absent or rare.”
“In Africa, Stolokrosuchus co-occurred with Sarcosuchus, while in the great pole of diversity of pepesuchines, the Bauru Group in Brazil, only one putative neosuchian was described to date and there is no other record of large, predatory tetrapods with semiaquatic habits.”
“In this scenario, we suggest that pepesuchines were occupying vacant freshwater systems of Western Gondwana during the Late Cretaceous.”
The team’s paper was published August 29 in The Anatomical Record.
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Juan V. Ruiz et al. A new Peirosauridae (Crocodyliformes, Notosuchia) from the Adamantina Formation (Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous), with a revised phylogenetic analysis of Sebecia. The Anatomical Record, published online August 29, 2024; doi: 10.1002/ar.25559
Source : Breaking Science News