Massaliasuchus

Massaliasuchus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 83.5 Ma
Illustration of the fossilized remains from the Fuvelian Lignites of France, 1869
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Crocodilia
Genus: Massaliasuchus
Martin & Buffetaut, 2008
Species: M. affuvelensis
Binomial name
Massaliasuchus affuvelensis
(Matheron, 1869)
Synonyms

Massaliasuchus is an extinct genus of allodaposuchid crocodylian that is known from fossils found in SantonianCampanian-age Upper Cretaceous rocks of southeastern France.

Systematics

Massaliasuchus was first described in 1869 by Philippe Matheron as Crocodilus affuvelensis, based on remains including skull bones. The new genus name was given to it in 2008 by Jeremy Martin and Eric Buffetaut. Massaliasuchus was considered to be related to early alligatoroids. Its name means "Marseille crocodile".[1]

Recent cladistic analysis places Massaliasuchus as a member of Allodaposuchidae, a clade of basal eusuchians from the Late Cretaceous of southern Europe.[2] The genus can be distinguished from Musturzabalsuchus in having 15 alveoli in the dentary.[3]

References

  1. Martin, Jeremy E.; Buffetaut, Eric (2008). "Crocodilus affuvelensis Matheron, 1869 from the Late Cretaceous of southern France: a reassessment". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 152 (3): 567–580. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00358.x.
  2. Smith, Thierry; Narváez, Iván; Brochu, Christopher A.; Escaso, Fernando; Pérez-García, Adán; Ortega, Francisco (2015). "New crocodyliforms from Southwestern Europe and definition of a diverse clade of European Late Cretaceous basal eusuchians". PLOS ONE. 10 (11): e0140679. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140679.
  3. Narváez, I.; Brochu, C.A.; Escaso, F.; Pérez-García, A.; Ortega, F. (2016). "New Spanish Late Cretaceous eusuchian reveals the synchronic and sympatric presence of two allodaposuchids". Cretaceous Research. 65: 112–125. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.04.018.


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