Paratomistoma

Paratomistoma
Temporal range: Middle Eocene, 41.3–38 Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
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 monospecific genus of gavialoid 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 member of Tomistominae, related to the false gharial. It may have been a marine or coastal crocodilian.

Below is a cladogram based morphological studies comparing skeletal features that shows Paratomistoma as a member of Tomistominae:

Crocodylidae

Crocodylinae

Tomistominae

Xaymacachampsa

Megadontosuchus

Kentisuchus

Maroccosuchus

Dollosuchoides

Thecachampsa

Penghusuchus

Toyotamaphimeia

Tomistoma cairense

Maomingosuchus

Tomistoma schlegelii False gharial

Gavialosuchus

Tomistoma lusitanica

Paratomistoma

Tomistoma coppensi

Based on morphological studies of extinct taxa, the tomistomines were long thought to be classified as crocodiles and not closely related to gavialoids. However, recent molecular studies using DNA sequencing have consistently indicated that the false gharial (Tomistoma) (and by inference other related extinct forms in Tomistominae) actually belong to Gavialoidea (and Gavialidae).

Below is a cladogram from a 2018 tip dating study by Lee & Yates simultaneously using morphological, molecular (DNA sequencing), and stratigraphic (fossil age) data that shows Paratomistoma as an early-diverging gavialoid, more basal than the last common ancestor to both the gharial and the false gharial:

Gavialoidea
Gavialidae

Gavialis gangeticus Gharial

Gavialis bengawanicus

Gavialis browni

Gryposuchus colombianus

Ikanogavialis

Gryposuchus pachakamue

Piscogavialis

Harpacochampsa

Toyotamaphimeia

Penghusuchus

Gavialosuchus

Tomistoma lusitanica

Tomistoma schlegelii False gharial

(crown group)

Tomistoma cairense

Dollosuchoides

Maroccosuchus

Paratomistoma

Kentisuchus

(total group)



This page was last updated at 2023-03-08 07:21 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari