Tikisuchus romeri, a new rauisuchid reptile from the Late Triassic of India

Abstract

Tikisuchus romeri n. gen. and sp. is a rauisuchid thecodontian from the Late Triassic Tiki Formation of India and is the first rauisuchid material to be recorded from Asia. The skull is very large in relation to the presacral length and is equipped with sharp, serrated teeth. The astragalus has a very high dorsal process and the calcaneal tuber is short; the ankle joint is of “crocodile-normal” type.The rauisuchids were the dominant terrestrial predators during the Triassic and shared similar ecological niches with the emerging theropods. The agility and superior locomotion of theropods may have contributed to their success and to their eventual replacement of the rauisuchids at the end of the Triassic.