Dollosuchus

 ( Gavialidae ) 

Dollosuchus (meaning "Louis Dollo's crocodile") is an extinct monospecific genus of tomistomine originally named as a species of Gavialis.Owen, R. (1849). A History of British Fossil Reptiles, Part I. 1-328 It is a basal form possibly related to Kentisuchus, according to several Phylogenetics that have been conducted in recent years,Jouve, S. (2004). Etude des crocodyliformes fini Crétace−Paléogène du Bassin de Oulad Abdoun (Maroc) et comparaison avec les faunes africaines contemporaines: systématique, phylogénie et paléobiogéographie. Ph.D. thesis. 652 pp. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris, Paris. and is the oldest known tomistomine to date. have been found from Belgium and the United Kingdom.Swinton, W. E. (1937). The Crocodile of Maransart (Dollosuchus dixoni [Owen]). Mémoire 80: 3-46 It had large supratemporal fenestrae in relation to its orbits, similar to Kentisuchus and Thecachampsa.

Dollosuchus was originally described on the basis of numerous Mandible fragments found from the Early to Middle Eocene Bracklesham Beds Formation in the United Kingdom. The material cannot be distinguished from other related longirostrine, or long-snouted, . A nearly complete skeleton from Belgium (IRScNB 482) discovered in 1915 and described by Swinton in 1937, and referred to Dollosuchus, formed the basis of the new taxon Dollosuchoides densmorei. The holotype, BMNH 26125 and BMNH 26126, is now on display at the World of Kina museum in Ghent, Belgium.

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Species The type species of Dollosuchus is D. dixoni. Many other species that once belonged to other genera have been proposed as members of the genus, but little work has been published to support these claims. Charactosuchus, another Eocene crocodilian, has been suggested to be synonymous with Dollosuchus,

(1993). 9780813711829 ISBN 9780813711829

but this is no longer likely because C. kugleri is now thought to be a member of the family Crocodylidae, and thus closer related to modern than to . It has been suggested that Kentisuchus spenceri, Megadontosuchus, and Dollosuchus dixoni are cogeneric. If this is the case, the genus name Dollosuchus would be adopted for all three species, as the name has seniority over the other two.Brochu, C. A. (1997). Phylogenetic Systematics and Taxonomy of Crocodylia. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. 467 pp. University of Texas, AustinBrochu, C. A. (2001). Congruence between physiology, phylogenetics, and the fossil record on crocodylian historical biogeography. In: G. Grigg, F. Seebacher, and C.E. Franklin (eds.), Crocodilian Biology and Evolution, 9–28. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Sydney

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External links

• Dollosuchus in the Paleobiology Database

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