New non-dino papers:
Oryctorhynchus bairdi, gen. et sp. nov.Â
Hans-Dieter Sues, Adam J. Fitch & Robin L. Whatley (2020)
A New Rhynchosaur (Reptilia, Archosauromorpha) from the Upper Triassic of Eastern North America.
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Article: e1771568
doi:
https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2020.1771568 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2020.1771568This paper provides a description and analysis of cranial remains of a rhynchosaur from the Upper Triassic Evangeline Member of the Wolfville Formation of Nova Scotia, Canada. This material, primarily comprising jaw elements, represents the first definitive record of Late Triassic rhynchosaurs from eastern North America. All cranial bones can be assigned to Hyperodapedontinae. The dentition of the Nova Scotian hyperodapedontine differs from those of Hyperodapedon and Isalorhynchus. The maxilla apparently did not have more than two lateral rows and two medial rows of teeth. The teeth of the lateral row closest to the single groove dividing the maxillary tooth plate are more than twice as large as those of the medial row closest to the groove. The lateral and medial tooth-bearing portions of the maxilla become increasingly crest-like during ontogeny. The dentary lacks a lingual row of teeth. Based on this combination of features, the hyperodapedontine material from the Evangeline Member is assigned to a new taxon, Oryctorhynchus bairdi, gen. et sp. nov., which is the sister species to an unnamed hyperodapedontine taxon from Wyoming. This clade was recovered as the sister taxon to Hyperodapedon spp. in the phylogenetic analysis. The late Carnian or earliest Norian tetrapod assemblage from the Evangeline Member represents a mixture of faunal elements from a wide paleolatitudinal range, suggesting a more cosmopolitan distribution for continental tetrapods during the early Late Triassic than previously assumed.
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Giovanne M. Cidade, Ascanio D. RincÃn & AndrÃs SolÃrzano (2020)
New cranial and postcranial elements of Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea: Caimaninae) from the late Miocene of Venezuela and their palaeobiological implications.
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi:
https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2020.1795844 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2020.1795844A partial skeleton of Mourasuchus, one of the most peculiar crocodylians of all time, that includes cranial and postcranial elements recovered from the late Miocene bone-beds of the Urumaco Formation (northwestern Venezuela) is herein described. Based on the presence of tall squamosal eminences, we assigned it to Mourasuchus arendsi. To provide an empirical assessment of the palaeobiological affinities of Mourasuchus, we performed estimations of the body mass and body length based on several Mourasuchus skull measurements, and an analysis of death roll capability. Our results indicate that Mourasuchus was indeed a large crocodylian, with a body length bigger than 9 m and weighed more than 4 tons. We find that Mourasuchus arendsi was incapable of executing the 'death roll' as a feeding behaviour and as such was unable to predate giant mammals, which are relatively common in the Urumaco Formation. Finally, the specimen includes a slender humerus, which may indicate that Mourasuchus had weak forelimbs and would spend more time in the water.
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