Aegisuchus witmeri

Aegisuchus witmeri

Taxonavigation

Taxonavigation: Crocodylomorpha

Superregnum: Eukaryota Cladus: Unikonta Cladus: Opisthokonta Cladus: Holozoa Regnum: Animalia Subregnum: Eumetazoa Cladus: Bilateria Cladus: Nephrozoa Superphylum: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Megaclassis: Osteichthyes Cladus: Sarcopterygii Cladus: Rhipidistia Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes Cladus: Elpistostegalia Superclassis: Tetrapoda Cladus: Reptiliomorpha Cladus: Amniota Classis: Reptilia Cladus: Eureptilia Cladus: Romeriida Subclassis: Diapsida Cladus: Sauria Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha Cladus: Crurotarsi Divisio: Archosauria Subsectio: Pseudosuchia Cladus: Suchia Cladus: Paracrocodylomorpha Cladus: Loricata Superordo: Crocodylomorpha

Familia: †Aegyptosuchidae
Genus: Aegisuchus
Species: Aegisuchus witmeri

Name

Aegisuchus Holliday & Gardner, 2012

Holotype: ROM 54530 (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada), partial braincase of a large individual with skull roof, temporal, and occipital regions.

Type locality: The specimen is from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Kem Kem Formation of southeastern Morocco, a continental and deltaic environment [16]. The specimen was collected by commercial collectors and obtained by curators from the Royal Ontario Museum.

Etymology: Aegis, shield (Greek), describing the integumentary boss on the skull roof; souchus, crocodile (Greek); witmeri, in honor of Lawrence M. Witmer, whose mentorship and contributions to archosaur cranial anatomy enabled the identification and interpretation of this specimen.

References

• Casey M. Holliday & Nicholas M. Gardner 2012: A New Eusuchian Crocodyliform with Novel Cranial Integument and Its Significance for the Origin and Evolution of Crocodylia. PLoS ONE, 7(1): e30471. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030471.