Mourasuchus is one of the most peculiar crocodylians of all time, showing an unusual 'duck-faced' rostrum with thin, gracile mandibles. It includes four species restricted to the South American Miocene. Here, we describe ten late Miocene specimens of Mourasuchus, nine from the Solimues Formation of Brazil and one from Bolivia. All specimens are assigned to M. arendsi, but this assignment may change as the diversity and relationships within Mourasuchus are better understood. We also discuss several issues pertinent to the morphology of Mourasuchus: the presence of a braincase neomorph (the laterocaudal bridge), hypotheses about sexual dimorphism, the function of the squamosal 'horns' the presence of possible thermoregulatory functions in the genus. Additionally, the paleogeographic distribution of Mourasuchus in the Miocene of South America is also discussed.
1.Univ Sao Paulo, Biol, Campus Ribeirao Preto,Ave Bandeirantes 3900, BR-14040900 Ribeirao Preto, Brazil 2.Univ Fed Acre, Dept Ciencias Nat, UFAC, Campus Univ,BR 364,Km 4,Dist Ind, BR-69915900 Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil 3.Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Dept Biol, Ave Bandeirantes 3900, BR-14040901 Ribeirao Preto, Brazil 4.Univ Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245 USA 5.Univ Fed Uberlandia, BR-38400902 Uberlandia, MG, Brazil
Recommended Citation:
Cidade, Giovanne M.,Souza-Filho, Jonas P.,Hsiou, Annie Schmaltz,et al. New specimens of Mourasuchus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae) from the Miocene of Brazil and Bolivia and their taxonomic and morphological implications[J]. ALCHERINGA,2019-01-01,43(2):261-278