On a new peirosaurid crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous, Bauru Group, southeastern Brazil

Diogenes A Campos,Sergio A.K Azevedo,Luciana B Carvalho,Douglas Riff,Rodrigo G Figueiredo,Gustavo R Oliveira,Alexander W.A Kellner

doi:10.1590/s0001-37652011000100020

Abstract

A new crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) Presidente Prudente Formation of the Bauru Group is described based on two almost complete skulls and mandibles. The material comes from the "Tartaruguito" site, situated at an old railroad between the cities of Pirapozinho and Presidente Prudente, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The new species, Pepesuchus deiseae gen. et sp. nov., is classified in the clade Peirosauridae on the basis of three synapomorphies: the presence of five premaxillary teeth, the anterior two premaxillary alveoli nearly confluent, and the oval cross-section of the jugal along the lower temporal bar. The new taxon increases the outstanding crocodyliform diversity of the Bauru Group, particularly of the Peirosauridae, which might turn out to be one of the most representative clades of gondwanan mesoeucrocodylians.

Highlights

The study of crocodyliforms from Brazil has increased tremendously in the last decades, with several new discoveries (e.g., Barbosa et al 2008, Iori and Carvalho 2009, Kellner et al 2009)
The crocodyliform fauna from the Bauru Group is composed by the following species: Baurusuchus pachecoi Price, 1945; Baurusuchus salgadoensis Carvalho, Campos & Nobre, 2005; Baurusuchus albertoi Nascimento & Zaher, 2010; Sphagesaurus huenei Price, 1950; Sphagesaurus montealtensis Andrade & Bertini, 2008; Peirosaurus tormini Price, 1955; Itasuchus jesuinoi Price, 1955; Mariliasuchus amarali Carvalho & Bertini, 1999; Mariliasuchus robustus Nobre, Carvalho, Vasconcellos & Nava, 2007; Stratiotosuchus maxhechti Campos, Suarez, Riff & Kellner, 2001; Uberabasuchus
Other taxa are in need of careful examination, such as Baurusuchus salgadoensis and Mariliasuchus robustus that potentially could represent Baurusuchus pachecoi and Mariliasuchus amarali, respectively

Summary

Introduction

The study of crocodyliforms from Brazil has increased tremendously in the last decades, with several new discoveries (e.g., Barbosa et al 2008, Iori and Carvalho 2009, Kellner et al 2009). We describe a new crocodyliform from the Upper Cretaceous deposits of the Presidente Prudente Formation (Bauru Group), Pepesuchus deiseae gen.

Results

Conclusion