A new bernissartiid crocodyliform from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation (Wealden Group, Barremian) of the Isle of Wight, southern England

• DOI: 10.4202/app.00038.2013
• Publication Date: 2014-03-11T07:18:15Z
• Authors: Steven Sweetman; Ulysse Pedreira-S...; Steven Vidovic
• Keywords: Wight

A substantially complete skull of a small crocodyliform recently found on the foreshore near Yaverland south-east coast Isle Wight, southern England is described.The locality, mode preservation and associated matrix indicate that it derived from one plant debris beds Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation (Barremian, Wealden Group).The dentition, unique among crocodyliforms, serves to confirm specimen referable the, until now, monotypic family Bernissartiidae.Apomorphies, including placement choana entirely within pterygoids disposition cranial sutures demonstrate Wight cannot be referred Bernissartia fagesii, known contemporaneous strata.Furthermore, these characters should not new species Bernissartia.It therefore placed in genus species, Koumpiodontosuchus aprosdokiti.The systematic position Bernissartiidae, used diagnose Eusuchia, choana(e) prerygoids, are discussed.Until this condition was thought restricted Eusuchia with all non-eusuchian neosuchian crorocdiliforms possessing choanae bounded posteriorly by anteriorly palatines.While aprosdokiti gen.et sp.nov. differs eusuchians lacking median septum, being anteroposteriorly elongate its anterior placement.