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Issue: Vol. 4457 No. 1: 7 Aug. 2018
Type: Article
Published: 2018-08-07
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4457.1.9
Page range: 167–178
Abstract views: 303
PDF downloaded: 2

Revisiting Gryposuchus jessei Gürich, 1912 (Crocodylia: Gavialoidea): specimen description and comments on the genus

Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Depto. de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Quinta da Boa Vista, s/nº, 20.940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Laboratório de Paleontologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38.400-902, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Laboratório de Paleontologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38.400-902, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Laboratorio de Paleontologia, Universidade Federal do Acre, BR 364, km 4, Rio Branco, 69.915-900, Acre, Brazil.
Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Depto. de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Quinta da Boa Vista, s/nº, 20.940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Crocodylia Gryposuchinae Gryposuchus Solimões Formation Reptilia

Abstract

Gryposuchus Gürich, 1912 is the most diverse genus within the Gavialoidea. However, the type species G. jessei Gürich, 1912 has been subject of controversy and was regarded conspecific with G. neogaeus (Burmeinster, 1885) or G. colombianus (Langston, 1965). Here we provide a revision of G. jessei to verify the conspecific hypothesis and the implications for the genus Gryposuchus. Our study shows that G. jessei is a valid species, and a new specimen was referred to this taxon. The comparisons with other Gavialoidea species enabled the proposition of three exclusive characters for the genus. We further advocate a sister affinity between G. jessei and G. pachakamue.

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