Revision of the large crocodyliformKansajsuchus(Neosuchia) from the Late Cretaceous of Central Asia

Expanded Sampling Across Ontogeny in <I>Deltasuchus motherali</I> (Neosuchia, Crocodyliformes)

“…A monophyletic clade containing Wannchampsus sp. (formerly known as the Glen Rose Form sensu Adams, 2014) and Wannchampsus kirpachi was recovered as a sister group to Atoposauridae, and not as a paralligatorid, supporting previous hypothesis of closer affinities between atoposaurids and paralligatorids (Turner, 2015;Schwartz et al, 2017;Kuzmin et al, 2019). The addition of Kansajsuchus extensus, Turanosuchus aralensis, and the Dzharakuduk paralligatorid resulted in Paralligatoridae showing a similar topology to that of Kuzmin et al (2019), with Tarsomordeo winkleri and Rugosuchus nonganensis being pulled down to more basal positions.…”

“…(formerly known as the Glen Rose Form sensu Adams, 2014) and Wannchampsus kirpachi was recovered as a sister group to Atoposauridae, and not as a paralligatorid, supporting previous hypothesis of closer affinities between atoposaurids and paralligatorids (Turner, 2015;Schwartz et al, 2017;Kuzmin et al, 2019). The addition of Kansajsuchus extensus, Turanosuchus aralensis, and the Dzharakuduk paralligatorid resulted in Paralligatoridae showing a similar topology to that of Kuzmin et al (2019), with Tarsomordeo winkleri and Rugosuchus nonganensis being pulled down to more basal positions. This clade is defined by six synapomorphies: midline ridge on the dorsal surface of frontal and parietal (character 21.1); unsculptured "lobe" on the posterodorsal corner of the squamosal (character 34.1); basisphenoid exposed on the ventral surface of braincase (character 55.0); external nares divided by a septum (character 65.0); sharp ridge along the lateral surface of the angular (character 218.2); width of posterior half of the axial neural spines are narrow (character 257.1).…”

“…Previous analyses have recovered Deltasuchus motherali forming a clade with Paluxysuchus newmani, basal to Goniopholididae and other neosuchians 41 Expanded Sampling Across Ontogeny (Adams et al, 2017;Adams, 2019;Kuzmin et al, 2019;Noto et al, 2019). In order to test the evolutionary relationships of D. motherali and P. newmani within Neosuchia, a set of phylogenetic analyses were conducted using revised character codings for D. motherali that include new information derived from those elements of adult and subadult individuals that do not demonstrate any ontogenetic variability.…”

“…The original dataset by Turner (2015) initially contained 318 active characters and 101 taxa. Following Kuzmin et al (2019), the analysis presented here is revised and expanded to include a crocodyliform taxon (TMM 42536-2) from the Upper Cretaceous (early Campanian) Aguja Formation of Brewster County, Texas for a total of 321 osteological characters and 107 crocodylomorpha taxa. TMM 42536-2 was scored for 130 of the 321 characters based on Lehman et al (2019).…”

Braincase anatomy of extant Crocodylia, with new insights into the development and evolution of the neurocranium in crocodylomorphs

“…28), whereas in adults of extant crocodylians and some fossil neosuchians (e.g. paralligatorids: Kuzmin et al, 2019), both the parabasisphenoid and the basioccipital are dorsoventrally deep. Overall, the verticalization (=dorsoventral elongation) of these basicranial elements has a complex evolutionary history among Archosauriformes (Ezcurra, 2016: character 235;Gower, 2002: character 17;Gower & Sennikov, 1996: character 7;Nesbitt, 2011: characters 97, 102;Tarsitano, 1985).…”