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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

REDESCRIPTION AND PHYLOGENETIC AFFINITIES OF THE CAIMANINE EOCAIMAN CAVERNENSIS (CROCODYLIA, ALLIGATOROIDEA) FROM THE EOCENE OF ARGENTINA

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Author(s):
Godoy, Pedro L. [1] ; Cidade, Giovanne M. [2, 3] ; Montefeltro, Felipe C. [4] ; Langer, Max C. [2] ; Norell, Mark A. [5]
Total Authors: 5
Affiliation:
[1] SUNY Stony Brook, Dept Anat Sci, Stony Brook, NY 11794 - USA
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Lab Paleontol Ribeirao Preto, FFCLRP, Ribeirao Preto - Brazil
[3] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Biol, Lab Estudos Paleobiol, Sorocaba - Brazil
[4] Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Biol & Zootecnia, FEIS, Ilha Solteira - Brazil
[5] Amer Museum Nat Hist, Div Paleontol, New York, NY 10024 - USA
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: PAPERS IN PALAEONTOLOGY; v. 7, n. 3, p. 1205-1231, AUG 2021.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

Caimaninae is one of the few crocodylian lineages that still has living representatives. Today, most of its six extant species are restricted to South and Central America. However, recent discoveries have revealed a more complex evolutionary history, with a fossil record richer than previously thought and a possible North American origin. Among the oldest caimanines is Eocaiman cavernensis, from the Eocene of Patagonia, Argentina. It was described by George G. Simpson in the 1930s, representing the first caimanine reported for the Palaeogene. Since then, E. cavernensis has been ubiquitous in phylogenetic studies on the group, but a more detailed morphological description and revision of the taxon were lacking. Here, we present a reassessment of E. cavernensis, based on first-hand examination and micro-computed tomography of the holotype, and reinterpret different aspects of its morphology. We explore the phylogenetic affinities of E. cavernensis and other caimanines using parsimony and Bayesian inference approaches. Our results provide evidence for a monophyletic Eocaiman genus within Caimaninae, even though some highly incomplete taxa (including the congeneric Eocaiman itaboraiensis) represent significant sources of phylogenetic instability. We also found Culebrasuchus mesoamericanus as sister to all other caimanines and the North American globidontans (i.e. Brachychampsa and closer relatives) outside Caimaninae. A time-calibrated tree, obtained using a fossilized birth-death model, shows a possible Campanian origin for the group (76.97 +/- 6.7 Ma), which is older than the age estimated using molecular data, and suggests that the earliest cladogenetic events of caimanines took place rapidly and across the K-Pg boundary. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 11/16007-9 - Alpha-taxonomic review of the Baurusuchidae (Crocodyliformes, Mesoeucrocodylia) from Vale do Rio do Peixe formation (Bauru Group, Late Cretaceous), with the description of a new specimen from General Salgado-SP
Grantee:Pedro Lorena Godoy
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
FAPESP's process: 13/06811-0 - First record of abdominal contents in fossil Crocodyliformes, and its paleoecological and biological implications
Grantee:Pedro Lorena Godoy
Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
FAPESP's process: 13/04516-1 - Syatematic Revision of the Mourasuchus genus (Alligatoroidea, Caimaninae), one of the most peculiar crocodiles of the world
Grantee:Giovanne Mendes Cidade
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master