Journal article
New tomistomine crocodylian from the middle Eocene (Bartonian) of Wadi Hitan, Fayum Province, Egypt
Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, Vol.30(10), pp.251-268
12/29/2000
Abstract
A partial skull and mandible from the late middle Eocene Birket Qarun Formation of Egypt represents a new genus and species of tomistomine crocodylian, Paratomistoma courti. The new taxon can be distinguished from all other tomistomines on the basis of a skull table that slopes laterally from the midline and supratemporal fenestrae having sharp rims along their circumferences. Paratomistoma courti is the sister taxon to a clade that includes living Tomistoma schlegelii, an assemblage of fossil Tomistoma from the Miocene of the Mediterranean region, and Gavialosuchus eggenburgensis from the Miocene of Austria. This analysis supports the gavialoid affinities of previously described long-snouted crocodylians from the Gebel Qatrani and Qasr el-Sagha Formations of Egypt, all of which probably represent a single species (Eogavialis africanum). The large broad-snouted crocodylian from this region, Crocodylus megarhinus, is not descended from the last common ancestor of living Crocodylus.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- New tomistomine crocodylian from the middle Eocene (Bartonian) of Wadi Hitan, Fayum Province, Egypt
- Creators
- Christopher A Brochu - University of Texas at Austin, Department of Geological Sciences Austin, TX USA United StatesPhilip D Gingerich - University of Michigan USA United States
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, Vol.30(10), pp.251-268
- Publisher
- University of Michigan, Museum of Paleontology
- ISSN
- 0097-3556
- eISSN
- 2771-2192
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/29/2000
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences; University College Courses
- Record Identifier
- 9984240895302771
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