[dinosaur] Volcanosuchus, new phytosaur from Upper Triassic of India

Ben Creisler
[email protected]

A new paper:

Volcanosuchus statisticae gen. et sp. nov.

Debajit Datta, Sanghamitra Ray & Saswati Bandyopadhyay (2019)
Cranial morphology of a new phytosaur (Diapsida, Archosauria) from the
Upper Triassic of India: implications for phytosaur phylogeny and
biostratigraphy.
Papers in Palaeontology (advance online publication)
doi: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1002_spp2.1292&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=RlQBGxCWuBk_I8RhTo9KUvE6bGRKDJEh4jLRPaYP248&s=6QHK27OgV0RB156YiJOz4W8Pb5meAxmkG7HupnFKOho&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__onlinelibrary.wiley.com_doi_full_10.1002_spp2.1292&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=RlQBGxCWuBk_I8RhTo9KUvE6bGRKDJEh4jLRPaYP248&s=FhPFFnZMd-ejwPxnZihIB5CVb0MLRs62MH0MRrq1pj4&e= 

Data archiving statement:
This published work and the nomenclatural acts it contains, have been
registered in ZooBank:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__zoobank.org_References_ADA359AC-2DC2BE-2D45C3-2D86DB-2D5CB66D30A6C6&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=RlQBGxCWuBk_I8RhTo9KUvE6bGRKDJEh4jLRPaYP248&s=TEAli2QXpRp9ie4osg-1ilSMCI7uwBkvh7gMHqaVe9A&e= 

Data for this study are available in the Dryad Digital Repository:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.5061_dryad.dg25nt5&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=RlQBGxCWuBk_I8RhTo9KUvE6bGRKDJEh4jLRPaYP248&s=_GsEOpthCwO5X-X8f29hGEuqDd06mhPTBwLiCd7m32o&e= .

Detailed description and phylogenetic assessment of a phytosaur skull
collected from the Tiki Formation of the Rewa Gondwana Basin of India and
earlier diagnosed as Parasuchus hislopi, show that it pertains to a new
genus and species, Volcanosuchus statisticae. The new taxon is
characterized by marginal overlapping of the nostrils by the antorbital
fenestrae, external nares situated on a bulbous and raised dome, the
lateral surface of the jugal ornamented by a prominent ridge defined by
multiple tubercles and radiating thread‐like structures, and distinct
ornamentation patterns on the rostrum and skull table. Phylogenetic
analysis nests Volcanosuchus within Mystriosuchinae, where it forms a
sister taxon to (Rutiodon + Leptosuchomorpha) and marks the transition
between the basal Parasuchidae and more derived Mystriosuchinae phytosaurs.
Evolution of the phytosaur skulls resulted in changes from non‐overlapping
nostril and antorbital fenestra to an overlapping state, anteroposterior
elongation of the exoccipital–supraoccipital shelf, appearance of a median
ridge on the basioccipital, and reduction of the supratemporal fenestra.
Considerable faunal overlap of the Tiki Formation is evident with the lower
Maleri Formation, which is late Carnian based on the occurrence of
Hyperodapedon, Parasuchus and Exaeretodon. The Tiki Formation correlates
with the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina, the upper part of the Santa
Maria Formation, and the overlying lower Caturrita Formation of Brazil, the
Isalo II Beds of Madagascar, Lossiemouth Sandstone of Scotland, and the
lower Tecovas Formation of the Chinle Group of North America, and ranges
from late Carnian to early/middle Norian.