Lusitanisuchus

Lusitanisuchus; Temporal range: Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Subclass:	Diapsida
(unranked):	Archosauria
Superorder:	Crocodylomorpha
Genus:	†Lusitanisuchus; Schwarz and Fechner, 2004
Binomial name
	†Lusitanisuchus mitracostatus; Schwarz and Fechner, 2004
Synonyms
	Lisboasaurus mitracostatus Seiffert, 1970 (type);

Lusitanisuchus is an extinct

crocodyliform. Mostly fragmentary fossils have been found from several localities in Portugal and are Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous

in age.

The only

dentary similar to the one seen in the holotype

of L. mitracostatus. These remains, being more complete than those of the holotype, showed that L. mitracostatus was really a crocodylomorph rather than an anguimorph. Furthermore, it was shown to be a genus distinct from Lisboasaurus, which had by then been shown to be a crocodylomorph as well.

Several teeth referable to Lusitanisuchus were also found from Porto Dinheiro, Lourinhã in strata deposited during the Berriasian stage of the Early Cretaceous, extending the temporal range of this taxon by about 15 Ma.

Paleobiology

Lusitanisuchus coexisted with many dinosaurs from the Lusitanian Basin during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur fossils found from the Guimarota Formation include tyrannosauroids such as Aviatyrannis and Stokesosaurus, the ornithopod Phyllodon, and the small coelurosaur Compsognathus.^[7] The Porto Dinheiro locality included dinosaurs such as the diplodocid Dinheirosaurus as well as early mammals such as Portopinheirodon.^[8]

References

^ Schwarz, D. and Fechner, R. (2004). Lusitanisuchus, a new generic name for Lisboasaurus mitracostatus (Crocodylomorpha: Mesoeucrocodylia), with a description of new remains from the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) and Lower Cretaceous (Berriasian) of Portugal. Canadian Journal of Earth Science 41(10):1259–1271.
^ Seiffert, J. (1970). "Oberjurassische Lacertilier aus der Kohlengrube Guimarota bei Leiria (Mittel Portugal)". Unpublished Inaugural-Dissertation, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany.
^ Seiffert, J. (1973). "Upper Jurassic Lizards from Central Portugal". Memória dos Servicos Géologicos de Portugal (N.S.) 22: 7–88.
^ J. Seiffert. (1975.) Upper Jurassic lizards from central Portugal. Contribuição para o conhecimento da Fauna do Kimerridgiano da Mina de Lignito Guimarota (Leiria, Portugal). Serviços Geológicos de Portugal, Memória (Nova Série) 22:7-85
^ Milner, A. R. and Evans, S. E. (1991). The Upper Jurassic diapsid Lisboasaurus estesi — a maniraptoran theropod. Palaeontology 34:503–513.
^ Buscalioni, A. D., Ortega, F., Pérez-Moreno, B. P., and Evans, S. E. (1996). The Upper Jurassic maniraptoran theropod Lisboasaurus estesi (Guimarota, Portugal) reinterpreted as a crocodylomorph. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16(2):358–362.
^ Weishampel, D. B., Barret, P. M., Coria, R. A., Loeuff, J. L., Xing, X., Xijin, Z., Sahni, A., Gomani, E. M. P. and Noto, C. R. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution". In: Weishampel, D, B., Dodson, P. and Osmólska, H., eds., The Dinosauria, 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 545–549.
^ Bonaparte, J. F. and Mateus, O (1999). A new diplodocid, Dinheirosaurus lourinhanensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Jurassic beds of Portugal. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 5:13–29.

[1] Schwarz, D. and Fechner, R. (2004). Lusitanisuchus, a new generic name for Lisboasaurus mitracostatus (Crocodylomorpha: Mesoeucrocodylia), with a description of new remains from the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) and Lower Cretaceous (Berriasian) of Portugal. Canadian Journal of Earth Science 41(10):1259–1271.

[2] Seiffert, J. (1970). "Oberjurassische Lacertilier aus der Kohlengrube Guimarota bei Leiria (Mittel Portugal)". Unpublished Inaugural-Dissertation, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany.

[3] Seiffert, J. (1973). "Upper Jurassic Lizards from Central Portugal". Memória dos Servicos Géologicos de Portugal (N.S.) 22: 7–88.

[4] J. Seiffert. (1975.) Upper Jurassic lizards from central Portugal. Contribuição para o conhecimento da Fauna do Kimerridgiano da Mina de Lignito Guimarota (Leiria, Portugal). Serviços Geológicos de Portugal, Memória (Nova Série) 22:7-85

[5] Milner, A. R. and Evans, S. E. (1991). The Upper Jurassic diapsid Lisboasaurus estesi — a maniraptoran theropod. Palaeontology 34:503–513.

[6] Buscalioni, A. D., Ortega, F., Pérez-Moreno, B. P., and Evans, S. E. (1996). The Upper Jurassic maniraptoran theropod Lisboasaurus estesi (Guimarota, Portugal) reinterpreted as a crocodylomorph. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16(2):358–362.

[7] Weishampel, D. B., Barret, P. M., Coria, R. A., Loeuff, J. L., Xing, X., Xijin, Z., Sahni, A., Gomani, E. M. P. and Noto, C. R. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution". In: Weishampel, D, B., Dodson, P. and Osmólska, H., eds., The Dinosauria, 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 545–549.

[8] Bonaparte, J. F. and Mateus, O (1999). A new diplodocid, Dinheirosaurus lourinhanensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Jurassic beds of Portugal. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 5:13–29.

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