Ankylosuchus

Ankylosuchus
Temporal range: Late Triassic
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Family: †Doswelliidae
Genus: †Ankylosuchus
Lucas et al., 2013
Type species
†Ankylosuchus chinlegroupensis
Lucas et al., 2013

Ankylosuchus is an extinct doswelliid archosauromorph reptile from the Late Triassic of Texas. Ankylosuchus is a monotypic genus and the type species is Ankylosuchus chinlegroupensis. It was named in 2013 on the basis of a fossil specimen including fragments of four vertebrae, parts of the skull, and part of a limb bone. These remains come from the Colorado City Formation, which dates to the early Carnian age of the Late Triassic.[1] A. chinlegroupensis is named after the Chinle Group, a stratigraphic group that many Late Triassic formations of the southwestern United States have often been placed under, although a recent revision in stratigraphic nomenclature favors it being called the Dockum Group,[2] which would make the species name a misnomer.[3] Ankylosuchus is similar to other doswelliids in having heavy armor consisting of thick bony plates called osteoderms that interlock tightly and are irregularly pitted. It differs from other doswelliids in that the pits on the osteoderms are deeper and some osteoderms are fused to those that lie laterally to them.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Lucas, S.G.; Spielmann, J.A.; Hunt, A.P. (2013). "A new doswelliid archosauromorph from the Upper Triassic of West Texas" (PDF). In Tanner, L.H.; Spielmann, J.A.; and Lucas, S.G. (eds.). The Triassic System. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 61. pp. 382–388.
  2. ↑ Cather, S. M.; Zeigler, K. E.; Mack, G. H.; Kelley, S. A. (2013). "Toward standardization of Phanerozoic stratigraphic nomenclature in New Mexico". Rocky Mountain Geology. 48 (2): 101. doi:10.2113/gsrocky.48.2.101.
  3. ↑ Parker, W. (2013-12-24). "Re: Ankylosuchus, new doswelliid archosauromorph from Upper Triassic of Texas (free pdf)". Dinosaur Mailing List Archives. Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
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