Doratodon

Abstract: A serrated tooth from the Coniacian-Santonian (Upper Cretaceous) Polazzo fossil site (Karst, NE Italy) is the first record of a notosuchian crocodyliform from Italy. Although it shares synapomorphies with teeth referred to the European genus Doratodon and with the Gondwanan genus Araripesuchus , it is distinct in the unusual combination of features, suggesting the presence of a yet unreported notosuchian taxon in the Adriatic-Dinaric Carbonate Platform located in the Tethys between the Afroarabian continent and the North European landmass during Late Cretaceous times. Notosuchians were typically terrestrial crocodyliforms, supporting the presence of emergent areas on the carbonate platform.

Abstract: A new species of a ziphodont crocodyliform is described on the basis of newly-discovered material from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Sierra Perenchiza Formation of Valencia, Spain. It is referred to the genus Doratodon as D. ibericus sp. nov. To date, Doratodon (type-species D. carcharidens) was only known by fragmentary cranial remains from the Campanian of Muthmannsdorf (Austria). This genus was previously regarded either as a goniopholid or as a hsisosuchid within the Mesoeucrocodylia, but a phylogenetic analysis suggests that Doratodon is a member of Ziphosuchia, placing it as the sister taxon of Sebecosuchia. Doratodon shares with Sebecosuchia (including Bergisuchus) features concerning the shape and implantation of teeth (margins of tooth crowns with denticulate carinae; tip of tooth crowns caudally curved; tooth implantation in isolated alveoli). Its inclusion in Ziphosuchia is based also on mandibular traits (splenials broad and robust behind symphysis, sculpturing of lateral surface of...

Abstract: Small terrestrial non-eusuchian mesoeucrocodylians are common components of Cretaceous assemblages of Gondwanan provinces with notosuchians and araripesuchids as flagship taxa in South America, Africa and Madagascar, well into the Late Cretaceous On the other hand, these are exceedingly rare in Laurasian landmasses during the Late Cretaceous Small terrestrial mesoeucrocodylians from Europe were often referred to the genus Theriosuchus, a taxon with stratigraphic range extending from the Late Jurassic to the late Early Cretaceous Theriosuchus is abundantly reported from various European localities, although Asiatic and possibly North American members are also known It has often been closely associated with the first modern crocodilians, members of the Eusuchia, because of the presence of procoelous vertebrae, a widespread key character diagnosing the Eusuchia Nevertheless, the relationships of Theriosuchus have not been explored in detail although one species, Theriosuchus pusillus, has been extensively described and referred in numerous works Here, we describe a new basal mesoeucrocodylian, Theriosuchus sympiestodon sp nov from the Maastrichtian of the Haţeg Basin, Romania, suggesting a large temporal gap (about 58 myr) in the fossil record of the genus Inclusion of the new taxon, along with Theriosuchus guimarotae, in a phylogenetic analysis confirms its referral to the genus Theriosuchus, within a monophyletic atoposaurid clade Although phylogenetic resolution within this clade is still poor, the new taxon appears, on morphological grounds, to be most closely related to T pusillus The relationships of Atoposauridae within Mesoeucrocodylia and especially to Neosuchia are discussed in light of the results of the present contribution as well as from recent work Our results raise the possibility that Atoposauridae might not be regarded as a derived neosuchian clade anymore, although further investigation of the neosuchian interrelationships is needed Reports of isolated teeth referable to a closely related taxon from the Upper Cretaceous of Romania and France, together with the presence of Doratodon and Ischyrochampsa, indicate a previously unsuspected diverse assemblage of non-eusuchian mesoeucrocodylians in the Late Cretaceous European archipelago