Araripesuchus is a genus of extinctcrocodyliform that existed during the Cretaceous period of the late Mesozoic era some 125 to 66 million years ago.[1][2] Six species of Araripesuchus are currently known. They are generally considered to be notosuchians (belonging to the cladeMesoeucrocodylia), characterized by their varied teeth types and distinct skull elements.[3] This genus consists of six species: A. buitreraensis, discovered in Argentina, A. wegeneri, discovered in Cameroon and Niger, A. rattoides, discovered in Niger, A. tsangatsangana, discovered in Madagascar, A. gomesii (the type species), discovered in Brazil and another species discovered in Argentina, A. patagonicus.[4] It has been argued that the phylogenetic position of this genus is uncertain, and that taxonomic revision is required.
Its length was about 1–1.8 m (3.3–5.9 ft) with a weight of 40 kg (88 lb).[5]Araripesuchus can be distinguished by their laterally bulged edges of the snout, with the bulge being the most prominent around the area of an enlarged maxillary tooth.[6] The snout and premaxilla are also smoother than that of most crocodyliforms, without foramina or the typical rugose texture. There are six valid species within this genus, all with slightly differing maxillary or dentary structure. A. gomesii, A. wegeneri and A. tsangatsangana all have a mild concavity of the external alveolar margin of the premaxilla as viewed from the ventral surface; A. rattoides may also have this feature, although this part of its skull is not known, as the dentary suggests that this would be the case. A. rattoides also had the distinctive feature of a highly enlarged and forward-pointing first dentary tooth referred to as an incisiform, resembling the elongated incisors found in rodents (hence the specific epithet).[7]
All species of Araripesuchus had relatively large orbits and hence eyes. They also had thin osteoderms that covered the entire body, multiple rows of them across the back and paired dorsal ones along the tail. Each side of the tail also had a single row of osteoderms, and there were paired ventral osteoderms across most of the belly and underside as well. The osteoderms were not strongly keeled, which, along with the long limb bones and shoulder, hip and ankle joints that suggest upright posture, indicate that Araripesuchus was probably more active on land than on water.[7]
Discovery and historyEdit
Block containing multiple specimens of A. wegeneri
The name of the genus was coined in 1959 with the description of the type speciesAraripesuchus gomesii, a notosuchian crocodylian from the famed Santana Group of the Araripe Basin in Brazil. The holotype used to describe the genus, 423-R is currently in the care of the Divisão de Mineralogia e Geologia do Departamento Nacional da Produção Mineral in Rio de Janeiro. 423-R consists of a single skull articulating with part of a lower jaw. A more complete specimen, AMNH 24450 is held by the American Museum of Natural History.[3] A second species, A. wegeneri was described in 1981. This species was discovered from Early Cretaceous deposits of Niger on the African continent, as opposed to the South American paleodistribution of the other species in the genus. The type specimen for the species, GDF-700 consisting of a few, fragmentary jaw elements, reside at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.[1] The holotype's fragmentary nature meant that its placement in the genus was disputed until more remains were found in 2009 by Sereno and Larsson; these, along with the specimens of A. tsangatsangana, confirmed its place.
Araripesuchus patagonicus was described from a patagonian specimen (MUC-PV 269) in 2000.[8] Another species to be assigned to the genus, was Araripesuchus buitreraensis, described in 2005. This species was described from a single skull (MPCA-PV 235) retrieved from Late Cretaceous deposits in what is now Argentina. At 130 millimeters, the skull is the largest Araripesuchus specimen discovered to date.[6] A fifth species, Araripesuchus tsangatsangana was described in 2006. This species' type specimen was discovered from latest Late Cretaceous deposits from the African island of Madagascar. Analysis of this specimen solidifies the position of A. wegneri as a member of the genus. A. tsangatsangana is the geologically youngest known of this genus.[2] The sixth species, A. rattoides, was found in the Kem Kem Beds of the Sahara in a similar location to the specimens of A. wegeneri found by Sereno and Larsson, and is known only from parts of dentary bones, up to the fourteenth alveolus. It was described in the same paper as Kaprosuchus, Laganosuchus and Anatosuchus; the four were therefore popularized by the authors as 'RatCroc', 'BoarCroc', 'PancakeCroc' and 'DuckCroc' respectively.[7]
ClassificationEdit
Restoration of an adult A. wegeneri
There are currently six recognized species within the genus Araripesuchus: A. patagonicus,[8]A. buitreraensis,[6]A. tsangatsangana,[2]A. wegeneri,[1]A. rattoides[7] and the type speciesA. gomesii.[3] The placement of the first African species discovered, A. wegeneri was questioned for a while by various authors. Ortega et al. argued for the assignment of the errant species to another genus based on phylogenetic analysis[8] Further analysis, combined with the discovery of the second African species A. tsangatsangana has shed more light on the placement of A. wegeneri within the genus. When analyzed together, the African species support the inclusion of all five first described species into the same genus.[2]
The genus was originally assigned by Price to the family Uruguaysuchidae in the original 1959 description. This classification was followed by Buffetaut in 1981 with the description of A. wegeneri also within the same family.[1] However, in their 2000 description of A. patagonicus, Ortega et al. avoided placing the species within the family. Instead, it was simply noted that Uruguaysuchus was a possible close relative of the genus.[8]
Ortega et al. and several other studies place Araripesuchus outside Notosuchia. In some phylogenetic analyses, it is placed closer to the clade Neosuchia, which includes modern crocodilians. In most recent analyses, however, Araripesuchus is placed as a basal notosuchian. The phylogenetic analysis of Soto et al. (2011) joined Araripesuchus with Uruguaysuchus, reinstating the family Uruguaysuchidae. This family was found to be the most basal group of Notosuchia.[9] Below is a cladogram from the analysis:
However, a 2020 study focusing on A. buitreraensis performed phylogenetic analyses which placed A. wegeneri closer to Anatosuchus, while the species from South America are paraphyletic leading to Uruguaysuchus. A. tsangatsangana has been recovered as the most basal species of the family Uruguaysuchidae. This suggests that the monophyly for this genus is rejected, and that Araripesuchus is actually an unnatural grouping of uruguaysuchids. Lumping all species into one genus would lead to Uruguaysuchus taking priority, rendering Araripesuchus a junior synonym of Uruguaysuchus.[10]
PaleoecologyEdit
Artist's impression of A. patagonicus
Araripesuchus remains have been recovered from the continents of South America and Africa suggesting a Gondwanan origin for the evolution of the genus.[1] At around the time of Araripesuchus' existence, South America and Africa were physically adjacent to each other. The various species evolved from the same stock in the general area, radiating outward from a yet-unidentified origin point. The presence of specimens from Madagascar further strengthens this evolutionary radiation model.[2]
ReferencesEdit
^ abcdeBuffetaut, E. (1981). "Die biogeographische Geschichte der Krokodilier, mit Beschreibung einer neuen Art, Araripesuchus wegeneri". Geologische Rundschau. 70 (2): 611–624. Bibcode:1981GeoRu..70..611B. doi:10.1007/BF01822139. S2CID 128870434.
^ abcdeTurner, A. H. (2006). "Osteology and phylogeny of a new species of Araripesuchus (Crocodyliformes: Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". Historical Biology. 18 (3): 255–369. doi:10.1080/08912960500516112. S2CID 83717721.
^ abcPrice, L. I. (1959). "Sobre um crocodilideo notossuquio do Cretacico Brasileiro". Boletim Divisao de Geolgia e Mineralogia Rio de Janeiro. 118: 1–55.
^Fernández Dumont, M.L.; Bona, P.; Pol, D.; Apesteguía, S. (2020). "New anatomical information on Araripesuchus buitreraensis with implications for the systematics of Uruguaysuchidae (Crocodyliforms, Notosuchia)". Cretaceous Research. 113: 104494. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104494. S2CID 218942443.
^. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
^ abcPol, Diego & Sebastian Apesteguia (October 2005). "New Araripesuchus remains from the Early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) of Patagonia". American Museum Novitates (3490): 1. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2005)490[0001:NARFTE]2.0.CO;2. hdl:2246/5659. ISSN 0003-0082. S2CID 55663842. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
^ abcdSereno, P.C. & Larsson, H.C.E. (2009). . ZooKeys (28): 1–143. doi:10.3897/zookeys.28.325. Archived from the original on 2011-01-09. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
^ abcdOrtega, F. J.; Z. B. Gasparini; A. D. Buscalioni & J. O. Calvo (2000). "A new species of Araripesuchus (Crocodylomorpha, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Lower Cretaceous of Patagonia (Argentina)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20 (1): 57–76. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0057:ANSOAC]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 85946263.
^Soto, M.; Pol, D. & Perea, D. (2011). "A new specimen of Uruguaysuchus aznarezi (Crocodyliformes: Notosuchia) from the middle Cretaceous of Uruguay and its phylogenetic relationships". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 163 (S1): S173–S198. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00717.x.
^Fernandez dumont, M.L.; Bona, P.; Pol, D.; Apesteguía, S. (2020). "New anatomical information on Araripesuchus buitreraensis with implications for the systematics of Uruguaysuchidae (Crocodyliforms, Notosuchia)". Cretaceous Research. 113. 104494. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104494.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Araripesuchus.
October 26, 2023
araripesuchus, genus, extinct, crocodyliform, that, existed, during, cretaceous, period, late, mesozoic, some, million, years, species, currently, known, they, generally, considered, notosuchians, belonging, clade, mesoeucrocodylia, characterized, their, varie. Araripesuchus is a genus of extinct crocodyliform that existed during the Cretaceous period of the late Mesozoic era some 125 to 66 million years ago 1 2 Six species of Araripesuchus are currently known They are generally considered to be notosuchians belonging to the clade Mesoeucrocodylia characterized by their varied teeth types and distinct skull elements 3 This genus consists of six species A buitreraensis discovered in Argentina A wegeneri discovered in Cameroon and Niger A rattoides discovered in Niger A tsangatsangana discovered in Madagascar A gomesii the type species discovered in Brazil and another species discovered in Argentina A patagonicus 4 It has been argued that the phylogenetic position of this genus is uncertain and that taxonomic revision is required AraripesuchusTemporal range Early Late Cretaceous 125 66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg NSkull of A wegeneri from different anglesScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ReptiliaClade PseudosuchiaClade CrocodylomorphaSuborder NotosuchiaFamily UruguaysuchidaeGenus AraripesuchusPrice 1959Species A gomesii Price 1959 type A wegeneri Buffetaut 1981 A patagonicus Ortega et al 2000 A buitreraensis Pol amp Apesteguia 2005 A tsangatsangana Turner 2006 A rattoides Sereno amp Larsson 2009 Contents 1 Description 2 Discovery and history 3 Classification 4 Paleoecology 5 References 6 External linksDescription EditIts length was about 1 1 8 m 3 3 5 9 ft with a weight of 40 kg 88 lb 5 Araripesuchus can be distinguished by their laterally bulged edges of the snout with the bulge being the most prominent around the area of an enlarged maxillary tooth 6 The snout and premaxilla are also smoother than that of most crocodyliforms without foramina or the typical rugose texture There are six valid species within this genus all with slightly differing maxillary or dentary structure A gomesii A wegeneri and A tsangatsangana all have a mild concavity of the external alveolar margin of the premaxilla as viewed from the ventral surface A rattoides may also have this feature although this part of its skull is not known as the dentary suggests that this would be the case A rattoides also had the distinctive feature of a highly enlarged and forward pointing first dentary tooth referred to as an incisiform resembling the elongated incisors found in rodents hence the specific epithet 7 All species of Araripesuchus had relatively large orbits and hence eyes They also had thin osteoderms that covered the entire body multiple rows of them across the back and paired dorsal ones along the tail Each side of the tail also had a single row of osteoderms and there were paired ventral osteoderms across most of the belly and underside as well The osteoderms were not strongly keeled which along with the long limb bones and shoulder hip and ankle joints that suggest upright posture indicate that Araripesuchus was probably more active on land than on water 7 Discovery and history Edit nbsp Block containing multiple specimens of A wegeneriThe name of the genus was coined in 1959 with the description of the type species Araripesuchus gomesii a notosuchian crocodylian from the famed Santana Group of the Araripe Basin in Brazil The holotype used to describe the genus 423 R is currently in the care of the Divisao de Mineralogia e Geologia do Departamento Nacional da Producao Mineral in Rio de Janeiro 423 R consists of a single skull articulating with part of a lower jaw A more complete specimen AMNH 24450 is held by the American Museum of Natural History 3 A second species A wegeneri was described in 1981 This species was discovered from Early Cretaceous deposits of Niger on the African continent as opposed to the South American paleodistribution of the other species in the genus The type specimen for the species GDF 700 consisting of a few fragmentary jaw elements reside at the Museum National d Histoire Naturelle in Paris 1 The holotype s fragmentary nature meant that its placement in the genus was disputed until more remains were found in 2009 by Sereno and Larsson these along with the specimens of A tsangatsangana confirmed its place Araripesuchus patagonicus was described from a patagonian specimen MUC PV 269 in 2000 8 Another species to be assigned to the genus was Araripesuchus buitreraensis described in 2005 This species was described from a single skull MPCA PV 235 retrieved from Late Cretaceous deposits in what is now Argentina At 130 millimeters the skull is the largest Araripesuchus specimen discovered to date 6 A fifth species Araripesuchus tsangatsangana was described in 2006 This species type specimen was discovered from latest Late Cretaceous deposits from the African island of Madagascar Analysis of this specimen solidifies the position of A wegneri as a member of the genus A tsangatsangana is the geologically youngest known of this genus 2 The sixth species A rattoides was found in the Kem Kem Beds of the Sahara in a similar location to the specimens of A wegeneri found by Sereno and Larsson and is known only from parts of dentary bones up to the fourteenth alveolus It was described in the same paper as Kaprosuchus Laganosuchus and Anatosuchus the four were therefore popularized by the authors as RatCroc BoarCroc PancakeCroc and DuckCroc respectively 7 Classification Edit nbsp Restoration of an adult A wegeneriThere are currently six recognized species within the genus Araripesuchus A patagonicus 8 A buitreraensis 6 A tsangatsangana 2 A wegeneri 1 A rattoides 7 and the type species A gomesii 3 The placement of the first African species discovered A wegeneri was questioned for a while by various authors Ortega et al argued for the assignment of the errant species to another genus based on phylogenetic analysis 8 Further analysis combined with the discovery of the second African species A tsangatsangana has shed more light on the placement of A wegeneri within the genus When analyzed together the African species support the inclusion of all five first described species into the same genus 2 The genus was originally assigned by Price to the family Uruguaysuchidae in the original 1959 description This classification was followed by Buffetaut in 1981 with the description of A wegeneri also within the same family 1 However in their 2000 description of A patagonicus Ortega et al avoided placing the species within the family Instead it was simply noted that Uruguaysuchus was a possible close relative of the genus 8 Ortega et al and several other studies place Araripesuchus outside Notosuchia In some phylogenetic analyses it is placed closer to the clade Neosuchia which includes modern crocodilians In most recent analyses however Araripesuchus is placed as a basal notosuchian The phylogenetic analysis of Soto et al 2011 joined Araripesuchus with Uruguaysuchus reinstating the family Uruguaysuchidae This family was found to be the most basal group of Notosuchia 9 Below is a cladogram from the analysis nbsp Holotype right dentary of A rattoidesNotosuchia Uruguaysuchidae UruguaysuchusAraripesuchus A wegeneriA buitreraensisA gomesiiA patagonicusZiphosuchia LibycosuchusSimosuchusMalawisuchusCandidodonChimaerasuchusSphagesaurusBaurusuchusBretesuchusIberosuchusNotosuchusComahuesuchusMariliasuchusHowever a 2020 study focusing on A buitreraensis performed phylogenetic analyses which placed A wegeneri closer to Anatosuchus while the species from South America are paraphyletic leading to Uruguaysuchus A tsangatsangana has been recovered as the most basal species of the family Uruguaysuchidae This suggests that the monophyly for this genus is rejected and that Araripesuchus is actually an unnatural grouping of uruguaysuchids Lumping all species into one genus would lead to Uruguaysuchus taking priority rendering Araripesuchus a junior synonym of Uruguaysuchus 10 Paleoecology Edit nbsp Artist s impression of A patagonicusAraripesuchus remains have been recovered from the continents of South America and Africa suggesting a Gondwanan origin for the evolution of the genus 1 At around the time of Araripesuchus existence South America and Africa were physically adjacent to each other The various species evolved from the same stock in the general area radiating outward from a yet unidentified origin point The presence of specimens from Madagascar further strengthens this evolutionary radiation model 2 References Edit a b c d e Buffetaut E 1981 Die biogeographische Geschichte der Krokodilier mit Beschreibung einer neuen Art Araripesuchus wegeneri Geologische Rundschau 70 2 611 624 Bibcode 1981GeoRu 70 611B doi 10 1007 BF01822139 S2CID 128870434 a b c d e Turner A H 2006 Osteology and phylogeny of a new species of Araripesuchus Crocodyliformes Mesoeucrocodylia from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar Historical Biology 18 3 255 369 doi 10 1080 08912960500516112 S2CID 83717721 a b c Price L I 1959 Sobre um crocodilideo notossuquio do Cretacico Brasileiro Boletim Divisao de Geolgia e Mineralogia Rio de Janeiro 118 1 55 Fernandez Dumont M L Bona P Pol D Apesteguia S 2020 New anatomical information on Araripesuchus buitreraensis with implications for the systematics of Uruguaysuchidae Crocodyliforms Notosuchia Cretaceous Research 113 104494 doi 10 1016 j cretres 2020 104494 S2CID 218942443 Araripesuchus paleofiles com Archived from the original on 2020 10 31 Retrieved 2012 05 24 a b c Pol Diego amp Sebastian Apesteguia October 2005 New Araripesuchus remains from the Early Late Cretaceous Cenomanian Turonian of Patagonia American Museum Novitates 3490 1 doi 10 1206 0003 0082 2005 490 0001 NARFTE 2 0 CO 2 hdl 2246 5659 ISSN 0003 0082 S2CID 55663842 Retrieved 2008 12 27 a b c d Sereno P C amp Larsson H C E 2009 Cretaceous Crocodyliforms from the Sahara ZooKeys 28 1 143 doi 10 3897 zookeys 28 325 Archived from the original on 2011 01 09 Retrieved 2009 11 19 a b c d Ortega F J Z B Gasparini A D Buscalioni amp J O Calvo 2000 A new species of Araripesuchus Crocodylomorpha Mesoeucrocodylia from the Lower Cretaceous of Patagonia Argentina Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20 1 57 76 doi 10 1671 0272 4634 2000 020 0057 ANSOAC 2 0 CO 2 S2CID 85946263 Soto M Pol D amp Perea D 2011 A new specimen of Uruguaysuchus aznarezi Crocodyliformes Notosuchia from the middle Cretaceous of Uruguay and its phylogenetic relationships Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163 S1 S173 S198 doi 10 1111 j 1096 3642 2011 00717 x Fernandez dumont M L Bona P Pol D Apesteguia S 2020 New anatomical information on Araripesuchus buitreraensis with implications for the systematics of Uruguaysuchidae Crocodyliforms Notosuchia Cretaceous Research 113 104494 doi 10 1016 j cretres 2020 104494 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Araripesuchus Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Araripesuchus amp oldid 1174061132, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
