Cricosaurus (Thalattosuchia, Metriorhynchidae) survival across the J/K boundary in the High Andes (Mendoza Province, Argentina)
Metriorhynchidae is an extinct group of Jurassic–Cretaceous crocodylomorphs that developed a fully pelagic lifestyle. Its Jurassic record is outstanding (it includes around 40 nominal species), while the records that can be restricted to the Cretaceous are particularly sparse. Here we describe a par...
| Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
| Country: | Argentina |
| Institution: | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
| Repository: | CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/142931 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11336/142931 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | AMMONOIDEA CROCODYLOMORPHA LOWER CRETACEOUS NEUQUÉN BASIN VACA MUERTA FORMATION https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 |
| Summary: | Metriorhynchidae is an extinct group of Jurassic–Cretaceous crocodylomorphs that developed a fully pelagic lifestyle. Its Jurassic record is outstanding (it includes around 40 nominal species), while the records that can be restricted to the Cretaceous are particularly sparse. Here we describe a partial skull of a new species of Cricosaurus, Cricosaurus puelchorum sp. nov., from the lower Berriasian of the Vaca Muerta Formation (Neuquén Basin, Argentina). The description of the specimen reveals a series of autapomorphies and a unique combination of characters that justify the creation of a new species. Phylogenetic analysis places Cricosaurus puelchorum sp. nov. closer to three upper Kimmeridgian–lower Tithonian species of southern Germany. The new taxon was recovered in connection with an accurate ammonoid-based biostratigraphic control and allows confirming the survival of Cricosaurus across the J/K boundary at the southeastern Pacific. |
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