Laganosuchus maghrebensis Sereno &amp; Larsson 2009, sp. n.
Creators: name: Sereno, Paul
name: Larsson, Hans
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Crocodylia
Stomatosuchidae
Laganosuchus

description: <i>Laganosuchus maghrebensis</i> sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: E5BCEEAD-DFEF-4EF6-AA62-110EF91FCD0F Fig. 42 Table 14 <b>Etymology.</b> <i>Maghreb</i>, western (Arabic); - <i>ensis</i> (Latin), from. Named for the area where the holotype was discovered in the Kem Kem Beds of southeastern Morocco. <b>Holotype.</b> UCRC PV2; anterior portion of the left dentary preserving four alveoli and one replacement tooth in the anteriormost tooth position (Fig. 42). <b>Referred material.</b> CMN 50838, anterior left dentary fragment preserving the symphyseal end and alveoli 1–3. <b>Type locality.</b> Er Rachidia District, Morocco (exact locality unknown). The referred specimen (CMN 50838) probably was found south of Erfoud (Fig. 1A, B). <b>Horizon.</b> Kem Kem Beds, upper member; Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian), ca. 95 Mya (Sereno et al. 1996). <b>Diagnosis.</b> Metasuchian with a narrow, well defined groove on the ventral aspect of the anterior dentary immediately lateral to the splenial that arcs to the posterior aspect of the symphysis; shallow, anteriorly tapering trough on the anterior dentary just lateral to the more sharply defined groove. <b>Dentary.</b> The anterior portion of the dentary is preserved in two specimens of <i>Laganosuchus maghrebensis</i>. Th e very rugose dentary symphysis suggests that it may have fused with maturity, and that its size, which is somewhat smaller than <i>Laganosuchus thaumastos</i>, may not be significant. The more complete specimen (Fig. 42 A-D) shows a remarkable similarity to <i>Laganosuchus thaumastos</i>. Both have slender U-shaped lower jaws with the symphysis restricted to the dentary, festooned alveoli with enlarged first and second teeth, and a sharply incised Meckel’s canal developed as a narrow groove. Th e teeth are also spikeshaped without recurvature or marginal ornamentation. Several differences, however, establish <i>L. maghrebensis</i> as a distinct species. The dentary is narrower near the symphysis (Fig. 42C), lacking the internal crest that thickens the dentary in <i>L. thaumastos</i> (Fig. 38B). Th e anterior alveoli in <i>L. maghrebensis</i> are not procumbent or exposed in lateral view as in <i>L. thaumastos</i>. Likewise, an articular scar for the splenial in <i>L. maghrebensis</i> shows that its anterior end tapers to a narrow tip along the ventral margin (Fig. 42B) in contrast to the bifurcated flanges in <i>L. thaumas- tos</i> (Fig. 38B). Th e incised groove representing Meckel’s canal is located on the ventral, rather than lingual, aspect of the dentary (Fig. 42D). <b>Table |4.</b> Dimensions (mm) of the anterior end of the right dentary of <i>Laganosuchus maghrebensis</i> (UCRC PV2). Although crown size in the two species is very similar, the alveolus of the caniniform tooth (d4) is slightly larger than comparable measurements for d1 (Table 14), the reverse of the condition in <i>Laganosuchus thaumastos</i> (Table 13). <i>L. maghrebensis</i>, in addition, shows low fluting on the lingual aspect of the crown of the first dentary tooth (Fig. 42E). A comparable crown, however is not available at the anterior end of the dentary series in <i>L. thaumastos</i>.
description: Published as part of <i>Sereno, Paul &amp; Larsson, Hans, 2009, Cretaceous Crocodyliforms from the Sahara, pp. 1-143 in ZooKeys 28 (28)</i> on pages 85-87, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.28.325, http://zenodo.org/record/576570
description: {"references": ["Sereno PC, Dutheil DB, Iarochene M, Larsson HCE, Lyon GH et al. (1996) Predatory dinosaurs from the Sahara and Late Cretaceous faunal differentiation. Science 272: 986 - 991."]}