The first discovery of an alligatorid (Crocodylia, Alligatoroidea, Alligatoridae) in the Eocene of China

Skutschas, Pavel P.; Danilov, Igor G.; Kodrul, Тatiana M.; Jin, Jianhua

doi:10.1080/02724634.2013.809725

Cited by 30 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Based on the taxonomic revision presented in this paper, four alligatoroid species are currently known in the Chinese fossil record: Protoalligator huiningensis from the Paleocene of Anhui; Alligator luicus from the Miocene of Shandong; Alligator sinensis , which may date back to the upper Pleistocene (Shan, Cheng & Wu, 2013); and the Maoming specimen from the Eocene of Guangdong (Skutschas et al, 2014). Brief comparisons among these taxa reveal some interesting patterns of character distribution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the Thai species Krabisuchus siamogallicus was recovered by Martin & Lauprasert (2010) as an alligatorine, and the unnamed specimen from the Maoming Basin of Guangdong Province, China was recovered by Skutschas et al (2014) as an alligatorid of unresolved affinities, the three named Chinese extinct alligatoroid species have never been included in any cladistic analysis. Determining their phylogenetic positions would represent a significant step towards understanding alligatoroid evolution on a global scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Taxonomic revision ofEoalligator(Crocodylia, Brevirostres) and the paleogeographic origins of the Chinese alligatoroids

Yan-yin

Sullivan

Liu

2016

PeerJ

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Background. The primarily Neotropical distribution of living alligatoroids raises questions as to when and how the ancestors of Alligator sinensis migrated to China. As phylogeny provides a necessary framework for historical biogeographic issues, determining the phylogenetic positions of the Chinese alligatoroids is a crucial step towards understanding global alligatoroid paleobiogeography. Besides the unnamed alligatoroids from the Eocene of Guangdong Province, three Chinese fossil taxa have been referred to Alligatoroidea: Alligator luicus, Eoalligator chunyii and Eoalligator huiningensis. However, none of these fossil taxa has been included in a phylogenetic analysis. The genus Eoalligator was established to accommodate E. chunyii from Guangdong Province. E. huiningensis from Anhui Province was later erected as a second species, despite no distinctive similarities with E. chunyii. By contrast, the putative crocodyline Asiatosuchus nanlingensis was established based on material from Guangdong Province, close to the E. chunyii specimens geographically and stratigraphically. Furthermore, specimens of A. nanlingensis and E. chunyii share four distinctive characters, but display no evident differences. As a result, the taxonomic relationships of these three species require restudy.Methods. In this paper, all specimens of E. chunyii and E. huiningensis are reassessed in detail, and compared to specimens of A. nanlingensis. Detailed re-descriptions and revised diagnoses are provided, and a cladistic analysis is carried out to assess the phylogenetic positions of E. chunyii, E. huiningensis and A. nanlingensis.Results. The analysis recovers E. chunyii and A. nanlingensis as sister taxa among basal Crocodylidae, while P. huiningensis is posited as an alligatoroid. Two key characters support the monophyly E. chunyii + A. nanlingensis: sulcus within surangular, and anteroposteriorly oriented surangular-articular suture. The former character is unique to E. chunyii and A. nanlingensis among crocodyloids, although a smaller and more posteriorly positioned surangular fossa is known in Diplocynodon. Detailed comparisons show the two species to be synonymous, with E. chunyii as the junior synonym of A. nanlingensis based on page priority. Because E. chunyii was erected as the type species of Eoalligator, the genus is now invalid. We establish the new genus Protoalligator to accommodate “Eoalligator” huiningensis, an alligatoroid whose exact phylogenetic position is uncertain. In particular, P. huiningensis retains primitive characters such as a lacrimal that extends further anteriorly than the prefrontal, and a notch at the premaxilla-maxilla suture. However, P. huiningensis also appears to share one important derived character, a complete nasal bar, with alligators. Our taxonomic revisions imply that four alligatoroids are currently known from China, and these species must have dispersed from North America to Asia in more than one event.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taxonomic revision ofEoalligator(Crocodylia, Brevirostres) and the paleogeographic origins of the Chinese alligatoroids

Yan-yin

Sullivan

Liu

2016

PeerJ

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“…Its lower part consists of sandy conglomerates, sand stones, gray green to purple red clayey shales, and coal seams; the upper part is dominated by dark gray to dark brown oil shales with subordinate yellowish brown mudstones alternating with coals. The oil shales yielded remains of fishes (Cyprinus maomingensis Liu) (Chow and Liu, 1955;Liu, 1957, Yeh, 1958, 1963, Chow and Yeh, 1962Li, 1975;Wang et al, 2007;Tong et al, 2010;Danilov et al, 2013;Skutschas et al, 2014). The Youganwo Forma tion was considered to be the middle Eocene-early Oligocene in age on the basis of palynological data (Yu and Wu, 1983;Li et al, 2006) or late Eocene in age on the basis of mammal Lunania cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palynological and paleobotanical investigations of Paleogene sections in the Maoming basin, South China

Александрова

Kodrul

Jin

2015

Stratigr. Geol. Correl.

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The complex paleobotanical investigations carried out in the Maoming sedimentary basin (Guangdong Province, South China) yielded first data on the taxonomic composition and ecological prop erties of two large paleofloras from the Youganwo and Huangniuling formations. The palynomorph assem blages from these formations indicate their middle-late Eocene age (Lutetian-Bartonian and Priabonian for the former and latter, respectively). It is shown that sediments of the Youganwo Formation were deposited in an intermittently swamped lacustrine-fluvial plain, which gave way to a freshwater lake. Vegetation of this period was represented by wet subtropical forests with evergreen Fagaceae, Lauraceae, and Palmae. The Hua ngniuling flora reflects the biome of seasonal tropical forests developed in a broad fluvial plain and its margins. The Eocene floras of the Maoming Basin are marked by the appearance of several recent plant genera, which is also evident from finds of remains of their reproductive structures. The Eocene flora from low latitudes of South China exhibits a notable share of floral elements from middle and high latitudes of East Asia.

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“…A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T (Chow and Liu, 1955;Liu, 1957;Yeh, 1958Yeh, , 1963Chow and Yeh, 1962;Li, 1975;Wang et al, 2007;Tong et al, 2010;Danilov et al, 2013;Skutschas et al, 2014;Averianov et al, 2016). …”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleogene monsoons across India and South China: Drivers of biotic change

et al. 2017

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The first discovery of an alligatorid (Crocodylia, Alligatoroidea, Alligatoridae) in the Eocene of China

Cited by 30 publications

References 9 publications

Taxonomic revision ofEoalligator(Crocodylia, Brevirostres) and the paleogeographic origins of the Chinese alligatoroids

Taxonomic revision ofEoalligator(Crocodylia, Brevirostres) and the paleogeographic origins of the Chinese alligatoroids

Palynological and paleobotanical investigations of Paleogene sections in the Maoming basin, South China

Paleogene monsoons across India and South China: Drivers of biotic change

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