DOI: 10.5061/dryad.8kprr4xkq
title: Data from: Australia's prehistoric 'swamp king': revision of the Plio-Pleistocene crocodylian genus Pallimnarchus de Vis, 1886

description: The crocodylian fossil record from the Cenozoic of Australasia is notable
 for its rich taxonomic diversity, and is primarily represented by members
 of the clade Mekosuchinae. Reports of crocodylian fossils from Australia
 date back to the late nineteenth century. In 1886, Charles Walter de Vis
 proposed the name Pallimnarchus pollens for crocodylian fossils from
 southeast Queensland – the first binomen given to an extinct crocodylian
 taxon from Australia. Pallimnarchus has come to be regarded as a large,
 broad-snouted crocodylian from Australia’s Plio-Pleistocene, and numerous
 specimens, few of which are sufficiently complete, have been assigned to
 it by several authors throughout the twentieth century. In the late 1990s,
 the genus was expanded to include a second species, Pallimnarchus
 gracilis. Unfortunately, the original syntype series described as
 Pallimnarchus pollens is very fragmentary and derives from more than one
 taxon, while a large part of the subsequently selected lectotype specimen
 is missing. Because descriptions and illustrations of the complete
 lectotype do not reveal any autapomorphic features, we propose that
 Pallimnarchus pollens should be regarded as a nomen dubium. Following this
 decision, the fossil material previously referred to Pallimnarchus is of
 uncertain taxonomic placement. A partial skull, formerly assigned to
 Pallimnarchus pollens and known as ‘Geoff Vincent’s specimen’, possesses
 many features of diagnostic value and is therefore used as basis to erect
 a new genus and species – Paludirex vincenti gen. et sp. nov. A
 comprehensive description is given for the osteology of ‘Geoff Vincent’s
 specimen’ as well as aspects of its palaeoneurology, the latter being a
 first for an extinct Australian crocodyliform. The newly named genus is
 characterized by a unique combination of premaxillary features such as a
 distinctive arching of the anterior alveolar processes of the premaxillae,
 a peculiar arrangement of the first two premaxillary alveoli and a large
 size disparity between the 3rd and 4th premaxillary alveoli. These
 features presently allow formal recognition of two species within the
 genus, Paludirex vincenti and Paludirex gracilis comb. nov., with the
 former having comparatively more robust rostral proportions than the
 latter. The Paludirex vincenti holotype comes from the Pliocene Chinchilla
 Sand of the Darling Downs, south-eastern Queensland, whereas the material
 assigned to Paludirex gracilis is from the Pleistocene of Terrace Site
 Local Fauna, Riversleigh, northwest Queensland. Phylogenetic analyses
 recover Paludirex vincenti as a mekosuchine, although further cladistic
 assessments are needed to better understand the relationships within the
 clade.
description: This dataset serves as supplementary material to the study titled
 "Australia's prehistoric 'swamp king': revision of the
 Plio-Pleistocene crocodylian genus <i>Pallimnarchus</i> de
 Vis, 1886" by Ristevski <i>et al</i>. The dataset is
 comprised of two main documents (Supplemental Document S1 and Supplemental
 Document S2, both in PDF formats) as well as an interactive 3D PDF file,
 and three other files that are related to the phylogenetic analyses
 conducted in the aforementioned study by Ristevski <i>et
 al</i>. Supplemental Document S1 contains
 information on the phylogenetic dataset that was used by Ristevski
 <i>et al</i>. The Supplemental Document S2 includes
 measurement and parameter tables for data relevant to the main study by
 Ristevski <i>et al</i>. Additionally, high-quality versions of
 the figures shown in Supplemental Document S1 and Supplemental Document S2
 can be found as individual PDF files – these figures are 18 PDF
 files. The interactive 3D PDF file (titled "Geoff
 Vincent's specimen, interactive 3D") contains the digital model
 of the <i>Paludirex vincenti</i> holotype specimen, which is
 described in the main study by Ristevski <i>et al</i>. This
 file can be opened in Adobe Acrobat DC and visualized with the aid of the
 tools from the 3D toolbar (Rotate, Spin, Pan, Zoom, Walk, Fly).
 Measurements can also be taken on the 3D models by using the 3D
 Measurement Tool. Each individual piece of the skull and digitally
 segmented endocranial element can be viewed in isolation or along with all
 other (or only some) elements, and even made transparent by using the
 options in the Model Tree of the PDF document. The background color in the
 document and the lighting for the 3D models can also be changed, depending
 on the preference of the viewer. Lastly, there are
 three files that are related to the cladistic analyses performed by
 Ristevski <i>et al</i>. The TXT file (titled "J.
 Ristevski matrix v1") contains the raw matrix and can be opened in
 programs for running phylogenetic analyses (e.g. Mesquite, TNT). The other
 two files, which are in TNT formats (titled "EW results" and
 "IW (k = 25) results", respectively), contain the results from
 the performed phylogenetic analyses and can be opened in TNT. In the main
 study by Ristevski <i>et al</i>. are given the search settings
 and parameters that were set in order to run the phylogenetic
 analyses.