A new species of Desmatosuchus (Archosauria: Aetosauria) from the Upper Triassic of the Chama basin, north-central New Mexico.

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Andrew B. Heckert Ph.D., Professor (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: We describe a new species of the aetosaur Desmatosuchus, D. chamaensis, from the Upper Triassic Snyder quarry, Petrified Forest Formation of the Chinle Group, Chama basin of north-central New Mexico. D. chamaensis is also present in the Bull Canyon Formation of east-central New Mexico. D. chamaensis is distinguished from the type and only other species of Desmatosuchus, D. haplocerus, by the presence of long recurved spikes on the dorsal scutes as well as small recurved spikes that are pyramidal in cross-section on the lateral scutes. Desmatosuchus is now a more robust index fossil, as D. haplocerus ranges from Otischalkian to earliest Revueltian, whereas D. chamaensis is an index fossil of the Revueltian. The evolution of D. haplocerus into the more spinous D. chamaensis is most parsimoniously interpreted as anagenetic.

Additional Information

Publication
Zeigler, K.E., Heckert, A.B., and Lucas, S.G., (2002) A new species of Desmatosuchus (Archosauria: Aetosauria) from the Upper Triassic of the Chama basin, north-central New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 21, p. 215-219. (ISSN 1524-4156) Archived in NC DOCKS with permission of the editor. The version of record is available at: http://econtent.unm.edu/
Language: English
Date: 2002

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