Dyrosaurid (Crocodyliformes, Mesoeucrocodylia) fossils from the Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene of Mali : implications for phylogeny and survivorship across the K-T boundary

Title Variants

Alternative: Dyrosaurid K/T survivorship

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3631

By

Hill, Robert V.
McCartney, Jacob A.
Roberts, Eric (Eric M.)
Bouaré, Mohamed L.
Sissoko, Famory.
O'Leary, Maureen A.

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY American Museum of Natural History c2008

Notes

Caption title.

"December 31, 2008."

We describe new dyrosaurid fossils from three localities in Mali, representing strata of Maastrichtian, Paleocene, and Eocene ages. The fossils significantly extend the temporal and geographic ranges of several known dyrosaurid taxa. Rhabdognathus keiniensis and Chenanisuchus lateroculi are identified for the first time from Maastrichtian sediments. Additional material is referred to Phosphatosaurus gavialoides and, tentatively, the genus Sokotosuchus. These discoveries represent the first occurrence of Chenanisuchus and possibly of Sokotosuchus from Mali. Previously unknown morphological character states are incorporated into existing data matrices, reducing the amount of missing data. Phylogenetic analyses largely corroborate prior hypotheses of dyrosaurid relationships, but indicate a need for new characters to resolve the relationships of certain genera and species. The occurrence of both basal (e.g., Chenanisuchus lateroculi) and highly nested (e.g., Rhabdognathus keiniensis) members of Dyrosauridae on both sides of the K/T boundary indicates that dyrosaurid diversification was well underway by the latest Cretaceous, and that most, if not all dyrosaurid species survived the extinction event. The geology of the Mali{u2019}s Tilemsi Valley is clarified; some rocks previously assigned to the Iullemmeden Basin actually represent extensions of other basins: the Taoudeni Basin and Gao Trench.

Subjects

Cretaceous , Crocodilians , Dyrosauridae , Evolution , Geology , Mali , Paleogene , Paleontology , Phylogeny , Reptiles, Fossil , Tilemsi Valley

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3631 2008

Language

English

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1206/598.1
OCLC: 297115662