Bretesuchus

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Bretesuchus
Temporal range: Late Paleocene (Itaboraian-Riochican)
~58.7–55.8  Ma
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Bretesuchus bonapartei.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Suborder: Notosuchia
Clade: Sebecosuchia
Clade: Sebecia
Family: Sebecidae
Genus: Bretesuchus
Gasparini, Fernandez & Powell, 1993
Type species
Bretesuchus bonapartei
Gasparini et al., 1993

Bretesuchus is an extinct genus of sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian within the family Sebecidae known from northwestern Argentina. [1] [2] It was a large apex predator (total length approximately 4 m). [3]

Contents

Discovery

Fossils of Bretesuchus have been found in the El Brete locality, from the Maíz Gordo Formation of northwestern Argentina and date back to the Thanetian stage of the late Palaeocene, about 58.7-55.8 million years ago. [2] The highly bent premaxilla shows that it lies within the suborder Sebecosuchia, a group of mostly South American terrestrial carnivorous crocodylomorphs with distinctive laterally compressed snouts. [2] [4] Bretesuchus was originally assigned to its own family, the Bretesuchidae which was found to be the sister group of Sebecus . [2] In 2007, a species of Sebecus , S. querejazus from the Early Paleocene Santa Lucia Formation in Bolivia, was reclassified as a bretesuchid. It was given its own genus, Zulmasuchus . [5] However, recent phylogenetic analyses found Bretesuchidae to nest deeply within Sebecidae, and thus to be synonymous with it. Zulmasuchus was found to be closely related to Sebecus, as originally had been proposed. [6]

Etymology

Bretesuchus capturing an hypothetical notoungulate. Bretesuchus.jpg
Bretesuchus capturing an hypothetical notoungulate.

Bretesuchus was named by Zulma Gasparini, Marta Fernandez and Jaime E. Powell in 1993 and the type species is Bretesuchus bonapartei. The generic name refers to the "El Brete" locality, where the fossil remains were found, and suchus, Latinized from the Greek souchos, an Egyptian crocodile god. The specific name honors Jose Bonaparte. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Iberosuchus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Iberosuchus is a genus of extinct sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian found in Western Europe from the Eocene. Remains from Portugal was described in 1975 by Antunes as a sebecosuchian crocodilian. This genus has one species: I. macrodon. Iberosuchus was a carnivore, unlike the crocodilians today, they are not aquatic and are instead terrestrial.

Notosuchia Extinct suborder of reptiles

Notosuchia is a suborder of primarily Gondwanan mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Some phylogenies recover Sebecosuchia as a clade within Notosuchia, others as a sister group ; if Sebecosuchia is included within Notosuchia its existence is pushed into the Middle Miocene, about 11 million years ago. Fossils have been found from South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Notosuchia was a clade of terrestrial crocodilians that evolved a range of feeding behaviours, including herbivory (Chimaerasuchus), omnivory (Simosuchus), and terrestrial hypercarnivory (Baurusuchus). It included many members with highly derived traits unusual for crocodylomorphs, including mammal-like teeth, flexible bands of shield-like body armor similar to those of armadillos (Armadillosuchus), and possibly fleshy cheeks and pig-like snouts (Notosuchus). The suborder was first named in 1971 by Zulma Gasparini and has since undergone many phylogenetic revisions.

Baurusuchidae Extinct family of reptiles

Baurusuchidae is a Gondwanan family of mesoeucrocodylians that lived during the Late Cretaceous. It is a group of terrestrial hypercarnivorous crocodilians from South America and possibly Pakistan. Baurusuchidae has been, in accordance with the PhyloCode, officially defined as the least inclusive clade containing Cynodontosuchus rothi, Pissarrachampsa sera, and Baurusuchus pachecoi. Baurusuchids have been placed in the suborder Baurusuchia, and two subfamilies have been proposed: Baurusuchinae and Pissarrachampsinae.

<i>Barinasuchus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Barinasuchus is an extinct genus of sebecid mesoeucrocodylian. Its fossils have been found in middle Eocene-age rocks of the Divisadero Largo Formation of Argentina, middle Miocene-age rocks of the Ipururo Formation of Peru, and middle Miocene-age rocks of the Parángula Formation of Venezuela.

<i>Langstonia</i> Extinct species of reptile

Langstonia is an extinct genus of notosuchian crocodylomorph of the family Sebecidae. It lived in the middle Miocene, in the "Monkey Beds" of the Colombian Villavieja Formation. Langstonia was named in 2007 by Alfredo Paolillo and Omar Linares for fossils originally described by Langston in 1965 as Sebecus huilensis. Thus, the type species is L. huilensis.(Paolillo & Linares 2007)

Zulmasuchus is an extinct genus of sebecid sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian. Its fossils have been found in Early Paleocene-age rocks of the Santa Lucía Formation in Bolivia. Zulmasuchus was named in 2007 by Alfredo Paolillo and Omar Linares for fossils originally described by Buffetaut and Marshall in 1991 as Sebecus querejazus. Thus, the type species is Z. querejazus.

Pabwehshi is an extinct genus of mesoeucrocodylian. It is based on GSP-UM 2000, a partial snout and corresponding lower jaw elements, with another snout assigned to it. These specimens were found in Maastrichtian-age Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Pab Formation in Balochistan, Pakistan, and represent the first diagnostic crocodyliform fossils from Cretaceous rocks of South Asia. Pabwehshi had serrated interlocking teeth in its snout that formed a "zig-zag" cutting edge. Pabwehshi was named in 2001 by Jeffrey A. Wilson and colleagues. The type species is P. pakistanensis, in reference to the nation where it was found. It was traditionally classified as a baurusuchid closely related to Cynodontosuchus and Baurusuchus. Larsson and Sues (2007) found close affinity between Pabwehshi and the Peirosauridae within Sebecia. Montefeltro et al.Pabwehshi has a sagittal torus on its maxillary palatal shelves – a character that is absent in baurusuchids – but they did not include Pabwehshi in their phylogenetic analysis.

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Ayllusuchus is an extinct genus of sebecid mesoeucrocodylian. Fossils have been found in the Lumbrera Formation of Argentina.

<i>Bergisuchus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Bergisuchus is an extinct genus of small sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian known primarily from the Eocene Messel Pit in Germany. Few fossils of Bergisuchus have been discovered, only a single incomplete snout, a few partial lower jaws and some teeth. Despite being fragmentary, the jaw bones are enough to indicate that Bergisuchus had a short, deep, narrow snout and serrated teeth, quite unlike the broad flat snouts of modern crocodylians.

Eremosuchus is an extinct genus of sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian. Fossils have been found from El Kohol, Algeria of Eocene age. It had serrated, ziphodont teeth.

Ilchunaia is an extinct genus of sebecid mesoeucrocodylian. Fossils have been found from the Divisadero Largo Formation of Argentina dating back to the Late Eocene, and a locality in Mendoza, Argentina dating back to the Oligocene. Little material is known from the genus, with only the anterior portion of the skull being present to study.

Microsuchus is an extinct genus of mesoeucrocodylians, belonging to Notosuchia. Fossils have been found in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation, dating to the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.

<i>Sebecus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Sebecus is an extinct genus of sebecid crocodylomorph from Eocene of South America. Fossils have been found in among others Patagonia. Like other sebecosuchians, it was entirely terrestrial and carnivorous. The genus is currently represented by two species, the type S. icaeorhinus and S. ayrampu. Several other species have been referred to Sebecus, but were later reclassified as their own genera.

Sebecidae Extinct family of reptiles

Sebecidae is an extinct family of prehistoric terrestrial sebecosuchian crocodylomorphs. The oldest known member of the group is Ogresuchus furatus known from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Tremp Formation (Spain). Sebecids were diverse, abundant and broadly distributed in South America during the Cenozoic, until the Middle Miocene; although it has been suggested that at least some forms could have survived until the Miocene-Pliocene boundary in Brazil.

Sebecia Extinct clade of reptiles

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Sebecosuchia is an extinct group of mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliforms that includes the families Sebecidae and Baurusuchidae. The group was long thought to have first appeared in the Late Cretaceous with the baurusuchids and become extinct in the Miocene with the last sebecids, but Razanandrongobe pushes the origin of Sebecosuchia to the Middle Jurassic. Fossils have been found primarily from South America but have also been found in Europe, North Africa, Madagascar, and the Indian subcontinent.

Ziphosuchia Extinct clade of reptiles

Ziphosuchia is a clade of mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliforms that includes notosuchians and sebecosuchians.

Lorosuchus is an extinct genus of sebecid mesoeucrocodylian known from the Río Loro Formation in Tucumán Province of northwestern Argentina.

<i>Sahitisuchus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Sahitisuchus is an extinct genus of sebecid mesoeucrocodylian known from Rio de Janeiro State of southeastern Brazil. It contains a single species, Sahitisuchus fluminensis. It is a terrestrial sebecid, however also adopted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle to some degree, most probably coexisting with the semi-aquatic alligatorid Eocaiman itaboraiensis.

References

  1. Bretesuchus at Fossilworks.org
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Gasparini, Zulma; Fernandez, Marta; Powell, Jaime E. (1993). "New Tertiary sebecosuchians (Crocodylomorpha) from South America: phylogenetic implications". Historical Biology. 7: 1–19. doi:10.1080/10292389309380440.
  3. http://darrennaish.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/naish-2001-geology-today-crocodilians.pdf page 73.
  4. Turner, A. H.; Calvo, J. O. (2005). "A new sebecosuchian crocodyliform from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 25 (1): 87–98. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0087:ANSCFT]2.0.CO;2.
  5. Paolillo, A.; Linares, O. (2007). "Nuevos cocodrilos Sebecosuchia del Cenozoica Suramericana (Mesosuchia : Crocodylia)" (PDF). Paleobiologica Neotropical. 3: 1–25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
  6. Diego Pol and Jaime E. Powell (2011). "A new sebecid mesoeucrocodylian from the Rio Loro Formation (Palaeocene) of north-western Argentina". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163: S7–S36. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00714.x .