Batrachotomus kupferzellensis Gower, 1999

Nesbitt, Sterling J., 2011, The Early Evolution Of Archosaurs: Relationships And The Origin Of Major Clades, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (352), pp. 1-292 : 35-36

Batrachotomus kupferzellensis Gower, 1999

(fig. 11F–G)

AGE: Late Ladinian, Middle Triassic, Longobardian ( Brunner, 1977, 1980; Urliches, 1989).

OCCURRENCE: Upper Lettenkeuper, Kupferzell, Germany ( Brunner, 1977, 1980; Urlichs, 1982).

HOLOTYPE: SMNS 52970, premaxillae, maxillae, nasals, frontal, postfrontals, parietals, squamosals, postorbitals, jugals, quadrates, dentaries, surangulars, articulars, right lacrimal, right prefrontal, left quadratojugal, left ectopterygoid, left prearticular, isolated teeth, three dorsal, a single sacral, three caudal vertebrae, single dorsal osteoderm, right ilium, femora, left tibia, left fibula.

REFERRED MATERIAL: SMNS 80260– 80339. See Gower (1999) for crania and Gower and Schoch (2009) for postcrania.

REMARKS: Well-preserved material from different ontogenetic stages and a fully detailed description of the skull ( Gower, 1999), the braincase ( Gower and Walker, 2002) and postcrania ( Gower and Schoch, 2009) make Batrachotomus the best represented suchian from the Ladinian and one of the most complete paracrocodylomorphs known from the Triassic. The taxon has served as a basis for comparison with all other paracrocodylomorphs. Unfortunately, Batrachotomus lacks good manus material, and much of the pes remains unknown.

Batrachotomus is different from all other suchians ( Gower, 1999) and bears one clear autapomorphy: presence of a small depression on the lateral surface on the ventral portion of the postorbital.

KEY REFERENCES: Gower, 1999; Gower and Walker 2002; Gower and Schoch, 2009.