New material of Loricata (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Late Triassic (Carnian, Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone) of southern Brazil

Abstract

Loricata is a group of hypercarnivorous pseudosuchian archosaurs that reached the status of top predators in ecosystems from the Middle to Late Triassic. Although the record of taxa pertaining to this group is abundant in rocks of the lower portion of the Santa Maria Supersequence (Pinheiros-Chiniquá Sequence, Dinodontosaurus Assemblage Zone) of southern Brazil, it becomes far scarcer in subsequent units (i.e., Santa Cruz Sequence, Santacruzodon Assemblage Zone; Candelária Sequence, Hyperodapedon Assemblage Zone) and even absent (upper Candelária Sequence, Riograndia Assemblage Zone). Therefore, it is important to reference and study new specimens of the latter units. Herein, we report a new record of Loricata based on a fragmentary specimen of the lower Candelária Sequence. Its morphology, along with a phylogenetic analysis, support the loricatan affinities of this new specimen, although its fragmentary nature precludes less-inclusive associations. So far, the only loricatan collected for the lower portion of the Candelária Sequence was Rauisuchus tiradentes, known from several elements, most of which may represent a single individual. Thus the new specimen adds to the record of loricatans in this unit.