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First occurrence of the genus Dakosaurus (Crocodyliformes, Thalattosuchia) in the Late Jurassic of Mexico

¹ Universität Karlsruhe, Geologisches Institut, Postfach 6980, D-76128 Karlsruhe, Allemagne. Adresse actuelle : Museo del Desierto, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexique. mcbuchy{at}myway.com.
² Universität Karlsruhe, Geologisches Institut, Postfach 6980, D-76128 Karlsruhe, Allemagne.
³ Geowissenschaftliche Abteilung, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Erbprinzenstrasse 13, D-76133 Karlsruhe, Allemagne.
⁴ Museo del Desierto, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexique.

The fragmentary rostrum of a thalattosuchian is described. The specimen comes from the vicinity of the village of San Juan de los Dolores, next to Los Lirios, Coahuila, northeastern Mexico. Associated ammonites allow to assign the specimen to the Kimmeridgian section (Upper Jurassic) of the La Casita Formation. Because of its massiveness, its cranial architecture and the morphology of its teeth, the specimen is referred to the genus Dakosaurus, but is too incomplete for further determination. The genus is known by few specimens from the Late Jurassic of Europe and Argentina, and was until now unknown from North and Central America. It represents a new but expected element of the assemblage of marine reptiles populating the Mexican Gulf during the Late Jurassic. The specimen is one of the few members of the group preserving in 3 dimensions and visible, the preorbital portion of the rostrum, and especially of the nasopharyngeal canal; it confirms the existence of a large space possibly housing salt glands rostral to the orbits.

Key Words: Thalattosuchia • Dakosaurus sp. • Late Jurassic • Mexico • Salt glands • Palaeobiogeography

Abbreviations: MUDE: Museo del Desierto, Saltillo, Mexique • SMNK : Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Allemagne • SMNS : Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Allemagne • UANL-FCT : Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias de la Tierra, Linares, Mexique