Doswelliidae Fossil Found in Ladinian Triassic Europe

A new archosauriform reptile from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) of Germany

Authors:

1. Rainer R. Schoch (a)
2. Hans-Dieter Sues (b)

Affiliations:

a. Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany

b. Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 121, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA

Abstract:

Numerous well-preserved skeletal remains of a distinctive armoured archosauriform reptile from the Lower Keuper (Erfurt Formation; Middle Triassic: Ladinian: Longobardian) of Baden-Württemberg (Germany) represent a new taxon, Jaxtasuchus salomoni gen. et sp. nov. The dermal armour of Jaxtasuchus comprises transverse rows of four rectangular osteoderms each in the cervical, dorsal and caudal regions, with the individual plates closely resembling those of Doswellia kaltenbachi from Carnian strata in North America. The long and low maxilla of Jaxtasuchus held at least 15 teeth. The labial and lingual surfaces of the tall, only slightly recurved crowns of the maxillary teeth bear distinct vertical ridges and smooth mesial and distal carinae. The cervical region of the vertebral column is long. Phylogenetic analysis places Jaxtasuchus as the sister taxon to
Doswellia in Doswelliidae sensu Desojo et al. (2011). Doswelliidae is diagnosed by the coarsely reticulate, incised ornamentation of osteoderms composed of central regular pits of subequal size and contour, and a mostly smooth anterior articular lamina on each osteoderm. The discovery of Jaxtasuchus confirms that Doswelliidae had a wide palaeogeographical distribution during the latter half of the Triassic.

Hat tip, Chinleana.