Massaliasuchus

<i>Massaliasuchus</i>

Massaliasuchus

Extinct genus of reptiles

Massaliasuchus is an extinct monospecific genus of allodaposuchid eusuchian crocodyliform that is known from fossils found in Santonian–Campanian-age Upper Cretaceous rocks of southeastern France.[1]

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Systematics

Massaliasuchus was first described in 1869 by Philippe Matheron as Crocodilus affuvelensis, based on remains including skull bones.[2] 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.[3] The genus can be distinguished from Musturzabalsuchus in having 15 alveoli in the dentary.[4] However, Massaliasuchus is usually omitted from phylogenetic analyses since it is only represented by poorly-preserved material.[5]

References

  1. [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. [2]
    P. Matheron. (1869). Notice sur les reptiles fossiles des dépôts fluvio-lacustres crétacés du bassin à lignite de Fuveau [Notice on the fossil reptiles from the Cretaceous fluvio-lacustrine deposits of the lignitic Fuveau Basin]. Mémoires de l'Académie des Sciences, Belles-Lettres, et Arts de Marseille 1868–1869:345-379
  3. [3]
    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. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1040679N. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140679. PMC 4633049. PMID 26535893.
  4. [4]
    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.
  5. [5]
    Blanco, A. (2021). "Importance of the postcranial skeleton in eusuchian phylogeny: Reassessing the systematics of allodaposuchid crocodylians". PLOS ONE. 16 (6): e0251900. Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1651900B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0251900. PMC 8189472. PMID 34106925.


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