Paratomistoma
Appearance
Paratomistoma Temporal range: Middle Eocene
| |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Archosauromorpha |
Clade: | Archosauriformes |
Order: | Crocodilia |
Superfamily: | Gavialoidea |
Genus: | †Paratomistoma Brochu & Gingerich, 2000 |
Type species | |
†Paratomistoma courti Brochu & Gingerich, 2000
|
Paratomistoma (meaning "next to or near Tomistoma") is an extinct genus of tomistomine crocodylian. It is based on the holotype specimen CGM 42188, a partial posterior skull and lower jaw discovered at Wadi Hitan, Egypt, in Middle Eocene-age rocks of the Gehannam Formation. The skull is unfused but considered morphologically mature. Paratomistoma was named in 2000 by Christopher Brochu and Philip Gingerich; the type species is P. courti in honor of Nicholas Court, who found CGM 42188. They performed a phylogenetic analysis and found Paratomistoma to be a derived tomistomine. It may have been a marine or coastal crocodilian.[1]
References
- ^ Brochu, Christopher A.; Gingerich, Philip D. (2000). "New tomistomine crocodylian from the Middle Eocene (Bartonian) of Wadi Hitan, Fayum Province, Egypt" (pdf). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology. 30 (10): 251–268.