On a new peirosaurid crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous, Bauru Group, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

A new crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) Presidente Prudente Formation of the Bauru Group is described based on two almost complete skulls and mandibles. The material comes from the "Tartaruguito" site, situated at an old railroad between the cities of Pirapozinho and Presidente Prudente, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The new species, Pepesuchus deiseae gen. et sp. nov., is classified in the clade Peirosauridae on the basis of three synapomorphies: the presence of five premaxillary teeth, the anterior two premaxillary alveoli nearly confluent, and the oval cross-section of the jugal along the lower temporal bar. The new taxon increases the outstanding crocodyliform diversity of the Bauru Group, particularly of the Peirosauridae, which might turn out to be one of the most representative clades of gondwanan mesoeucrocodylians.

New material of the ziphodont mesoeucrocodylian Iberosuchus from the Eocene of Languedoc, southern France

“…The anterolateral corner of the postorbital of Iberosuchus possesses a facet, possibly for the accommodation of a palpebral. A palpebral facet on the postorbital has been reported in the baurusuchid Campinasuchus dinizi , in the peirosaurid Hamadasuchus rebouli (Larsson and Sues, 2007) and in Pepesuchus desea (Campos et al, 2011). Complete palpebrals are known in the baurusuchids Baurusuchus albertoi, Baurusuchus salgadoensis, Gondwanasuchus scabrosus , Stratiotosuchus maxhechti and Pissarrachampsa serra (Montefeltro et al, 2010), and also in the peirosaurids Lomasuchus palpebrosus and Montealtosuchus arrudacamposi (Carvalho et al, 2007).…”

“…Iberosuchus shows a small number of dentary alveoli (fourteen alveoli according to Ortega et al, 1996). Among peirosaurids, the dentary alveolar count attains eighteen alveoli (Larsson and Sues, 2007;Carvalho et al, 2007;Campos et al, 2011;Martinelli et al, 2012). As for postcranial elements, osteoderms have recently been reported in the peirosaurid Montealtosuchus arrudacamposi.…”

“…Among the Baurusuchidae, Peirosauridae and Sebecidae, the presence of an antorbital fenestra is variable and does not preferably indicate a particular affinity. For example, the antorbital fenestra is preserved in the peirosaurids Pepesuchus deseae, Montealtosuchus arrudacamposi, Uberabasuchus terrificus, Hamadasuchus rebouli and Lomasuchus palpebrosus (Campos et al, 2011;Carvalho et al, 2004Carvalho et al, , 2007Larsson and Sues, 2007;Gasparini et al, 1991). The baurusuchids Baurusuchus salgadoensis and Campinasuchus dinizi possess an antorbital fenestra whereas Stratiotosuchus maxhechti and Pissarrachampsa serra lack this feature Montefeltro et al, 2010).…”

An Additional Baurusuchid from the Cretaceous of Brazil with Evidence of Interspecific Predation among Crocodyliformes

“…The Late Cretaceous Adamantina Formation, in south-central Brazil, has yielded the most diverse known crocodyliform fauna, with twenty described species. This includes not only members of the trematochampsid-peirosaurid clade [4], [5], with their semiaquatic body-plan, but also an array of more terrestrial forms, such as large-sized baurusuchid predators [6], and the bizarre notosuchids and sphagesaurids [7], [8]. The latter two groups depart from the typical carnivorous habits of crocodyliforms, with adaptations that suggest omnivorous or even herbivorous diets [3].…”

Intra-specific variation and allometry of the skull of Late Cretaceous side-necked turtleBauruemys elegans(Pleurodira, Podocnemididae) and how to deal with morphometric data in fossil vertebrates

“…The two latter localities are near-shore marine coastal deposits with influence of freshwater rivers (Jaramillo et al, 2007; Gaffney et al, 2008), whereas the two former and the Tartaruguito site correspond to sediments that had been deposited in a riverine system with seasonal droughts in which turtles gathered in retreating, ephemeral water pools and died when habitat dried up completely (Soares et al, 1980; Fulfaro & Perinotto, 1996; Fernandes & Coimbra, 2000; Henriques et al, 2002; Henriques et al, 2005; Suárez, 2002; Murphy, Hoganson & Johnson, 2003; Bertini et al, 2006; Henriques, 2006; Wings et al, 2012). The Tartaruguito is also the type-locality of the peirosaurid crocodile Pepesuchus deiseae Campos, Oliveira, Figueiredo, Riff, Azevedo, Carvalho & Kellner, 2011 (Campos et al, 2011). …”