Bizarre Notosuchian Crocodyliform with Associated Eggs from the Upper Cretaceous of Bolivia

Abstract

Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Té cnicas (CONICET); 3 Museo Paleontoló gico Egidio Feruglio, Av. Fontana 140, Trelew, Chubut (9100), Argentina; 4 Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Geologia, CCMN/IGEO 21.910-900, Cidade Universitá ria, Ilha do Fundã o, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 5 Franzensbadstr. 7 b The Mesozoic record of fossil vertebrates from Bolivia (Fig. 1) was restricted heretofore to Campanian–Maastrichtian dinosaur footprints (e.g., Leonardi, 1989; Suá rez Riglos, 1995; Lockley et al., 2002; McCrea et al., 2001; Meyer et al., 2001) and isolated and poorly informative dinosaur teeth and bones (Aguilera et al., 1989; Gutierrez and Marshall, 1994). Discovery of several, almost complete skeletons of a new notosuchian taxon constitu-tes the most important body-fossil discovery for the Mesozoic of Bolivia, adding substantially to the meager record of this region of South America. At least two partially disarticulated skeletons and two complete eggs were found together in a small area, constituting one of the few available associations of skeletal remains and eggs for extinct crocodyliforms. In this paper we describe this material as a new genus and species. We consider only the skull morphology, because most of available postcranial remains are still under technical preparation.

Full text

SHORT COMMUNICATION
BIZARRE NOTOSUCHIAN CROCODYLIFORM WITH ASSOCIATED EGGS FROM THE UPPER
CRETACEOUS OF BOLIVIA
FERNANDO E. NOVAS,
*,1,2
DIEGO F. PAIS,
1
DIEGO POL,
2,3
ISMAR DE SOUZA CARVALHO,
4
AGUSTIN SCANFERLA,
1
ALVARO MONES,
5
and MARIO SUA
´REZ RIGLOS,
6
;
1
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales
‘Bernardino Rivadavia,’ Av. A
´ngel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires (1405), Argentina, fernovas@yahoo.com.ar;
2
Consejo Nacional de
Investigaciones Cientı
´ficas y Te
´cnicas (CONICET);
3
Museo Paleontolo
´gico Egidio Feruglio, Av. Fontana 140, Trelew, Chubut
(9100), Argentina;
4
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Geologia, CCMN/IGEO 21.910-900, Cidade
Universita
´ria, Ilha do Funda
˜o, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
5
Franzensbadstr. 7 b, D-86199, Augsburg, Germany;
6
Museo de Historia
Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Casilla 1321, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
The Mesozoic record of fossil vertebrates from Bolivia (Fig. 1)
was restricted heretofore to Campanian–Maastrichtian dinosaur
footprints (e.g., Leonardi, 1989; Sua
´rez Riglos, 1995; Lockley
et al., 2002; McCrea et al., 2001; Meyer et al., 2001) and isolated
and poorly informative dinosaur teeth and bones (Aguilera
et al., 1989; Gutierrez and Marshall, 1994). Discovery of several,
almost complete skeletons of a new notosuchian taxon constitu-
tes the most important body-fossil discovery for the Mesozoic of
Bolivia, adding substantially to the meager record of this region
of South America. At least two partially disarticulated skeletons
and two complete eggs were found together in a small area,
constituting one of the few available associations of skeletal
remains and eggs for extinct crocodyliforms. In this paper we
describe this material as a new genus and species. We consider
only the skull morphology, because most of available postcranial
remains are still under technical preparation.
Institutional Abbreviation—MNK-PAL, Museo ‘Noel
Kempff Mercado,’ Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY
CROCODYLIFORMES Clark, 1986
MESOEUCROCODYLIA Whetstone and Whybrow, 1983
NOTOSUCHIA Gasparini, 1971 (sensu Sereno et al., 2001)
YACARERANI BOLIVIENSIS gen. et sp. nov.
(Figs. 2, 3)
Hypodigm—MNK-PAL5063 (holotype), a complete and ex-
quisitely preserved skeleton; MNK-PAL5064, almost complete
lower jaws articulated with partial right pterygoid, ectoptery-
goid, jugal, squamosal, partial quadrates, 12 vertebrae, left fe-
mur, proximal end of right femur, partial right tibia, and partial
right fibula.
Locality and Horizon—A locality (17340700 S, 63510300 W)
cropping out in Amboro National Park, Santa Cruz de la Sierra,
Bolivia (Fig. 1). Cajones Formation, Upper Cretaceous. Al-
though the Cajones Formation has been regarded as Maastrich-
tian (Lo
´pez, 1975; Aguilera et al., 1989), the age of the level
producing MNK-PAL5063 and MNK-PAL5064 is interpreted
here as Turonian–Santonian (see Discussion).
Diagnosis—Notosuchian characterized by the following auta-
pomorphies: nasals rostrally expanded above the external nares,
palatines bearing a median sagittal crest, retroarticular process
rounded and rostro-caudally short, jugal laterally expanded
forming an ornamented prong at level of postorbital bar, incisivi-
forms separated from molariforms through a diastema, and
molariform tooth rows rostrally convergent and almost in touch
each other.
Etymology—Generic name derives from two words of the
Guarani Indian language, yacare
´(the South American crocodile),
and rani (first). Specific epithet after the Republic of Bolivia.
DESCRIPTION
The skull of Yacarerani is 95 mm long (Fig. 2A–C). Tight
fusion among frontals and parietals suggests adulthood. The
snout is short and narrow. The external nares are terminal and
confluent. The nasals are constricted anteriorly, a unique trait
among notosuchians. The premaxilla bears a prominent rostral
process, which is dorsally curved, and presumably anchored the
cartilaginous internarial bar. This process is much more devel-
oped than in the other notosuchians.
The jugal exhibits a laterally projected prong (jp; Fig. 2A–C),
which is dorsoventrally flat and heavily sculptured. When the
mandible is occluded, the flat ventral surface of the jugal prong
lies over an also flattened area in the dentary-surangular con-
tact (dsa; Fig. 2D) of the mandible. The distal body of the
quadrate is vertically oriented (Fig. 2A), as in most notosu-
chians, but its articulation with the articular bone is situated
more ventrally than usual. The articular condyles of the quad-
rate are asymmetrical (i.e., the medial one is more acute and
ventrally more projected than the lateral condyle). The glenoid
cavity of the articular bone is rostrocaudally elongate (gl;
Fig. 2D), indicative of jaw propalinal movement. The retroarti-
cular process of the jaw is remarkably reduced anteroposteriorly
and does not exceed the level of the paroccipital process, where-
as in other notosuchians (e.g., Notosuchus,Malawisuchus) the
retroarticular process extends farther caudally. The lower jaw
has a distinctive symphyseal region, which is narrower and more
elongate in dorsal view (ds; Fig.1E) than that of the other noto-
suchians.
Yacarerani constitutes an extreme case of heterodonty among
crocodylomorphs: the dentition consists of four insiciviforms in
both premaxilla and dentary and six molariforms in both maxil-
la and dentary. The first dentary tooth is conical and highly
procumbent, and it is the largest of the dental series (1d;
Fig. 2A, B, D). This tooth occludes between the similarly pro-
cumbent first and second premaxillary teeth (1, 2pm; Fig. 2A).
A diastema separates the insiciviforms (both upper and lower)
from the molariform series (Fig. 3A, B). Furthermore, the low-
er incisiviform series is longitudinally arranged, in sharp con-
trast to the molariform series, which are obliquely oriented and
form an angle of approximately 30with the longitudinal axis
of the skull. Moreover, the rostralmost teeth of each molari-
form tooth series are almost in contact on the axial plane
*
Corresponding author.
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29(4):1316–1320, December 2009
#2009 by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
1316

(Fig. 3C, D). This separation of the main oral cavity from the
rest of the dental series constitutes a feature not previously
documented in Mesozoic tetrapods, and its functional signifi-
cance is unknown.
The molariform teeth are multicusped. They are oval in occlu-
sal view and their major axes are obliquely oriented with respect
to the tooth row (Figs. 2B, D; 3), a feature that Yacarerani shares
with Notosuchus, Adamantinasuchus, and Sphagesaurus. The oc-
clusal surfaces of the upper molariforms are linguodistally ori-
ented, whereas those of the the lower molariforms are
labiomesially facing (Fig. 3A, B).
The occlusal surface of each molariform tooth is formed by a
central multicusped crest, aligned with the major axis of the
tooth, and surrounded by both mesial and distal lower multi-
cusped crests (Fig. 3E, F). Such crests are roughly parasagitally
oriented with respect to the long axis of the skull. The cusps of
each crest are connected by narrow laminae. The crests converge
at the crown base as well as at the apex (Fig. 3F). Extensive wear
facets are located on the apical portion of the median crest of
opposing dentary and maxillary teeth. No wear is observed be-
tween the crests. Wear facets match in size, shape, and location,
and are suggestive of a tooth-to-tooth occlusion and intraoral
food processing.
MNK-PAL5063 and MNK-PAL5064 represent two almost
complete and articulated individuals of Yacarerani found in
close association. Eggs were found directly beneath these skele-
tons, below which no more fossils were detected. There is no
evidence of scavenging or weathering, and we infer that this
fossil assemblage forms an autochthonous association. Although
sedimentological information is not available, the volume occu-
pied by the bones and eggs is roughly tubular, a shape that
is consistent with an underground gallery. These taphonomic
conditions suggest that Yacarerani may have had burrowing
habits, a behavior that has been inferred for other notosuchians
on taphonomic evidence (e.g., Gomani, 1997; Vasconcellos
and Carvalho, 2006) as well as anatomical features (Buckley
et al., 2000).
Two complete, unhatched eggs and an isolated eggshell frag-
ment were found closely associated with the skeletal remains
(Fig. 4). The eggs are elliptical, as is characteristic of Crocodyli-
formes (Hirsch and Koring, 1992), with a long diameter of 30 mm
and a short diameter of 16 mm. The eggshell is 0.2 mm thick, and
its external surface is smooth, in accordance with other extinct
crocodyliform eggs (Hircsh and Koring, 1992). Poor preservation
of the isolated eggshell fragment precludes a histological descrip-
tion. The size and external morphology of the eggs are similar to
those found in association with Mariliasuchus amarali (Ribeiro
et al, 2006) from the Upper Cretaceous Arac¸atuba Formation of
Brazil.
DISCUSSION
Phylogenetic analysis (Supplementary Data 1, http://www.vert-
paleo.org/publications/JVPContent.cfm) positions Yacarerani
among a subclade of notosuchians (Fig. 5) that includes Coma-
huesuchus (Bonaparte, 1991; Martinelli, 2003), Mariliasuchus
(Carvalho and Bertini, 1999; Zaher et al., 2006), and Adamanti-
nasuchus (Nobre and Carvalho, 2006). This group of highly
derived South American notosuchians radiated during the
Turonian–Santonian and produced one of the most complex
tooth morphologies reported for crocodilyforms. This clade is
distinguished from the remaining notosuchians by the following
derived traits: dorsal part of postorbital with anterior and lateral
edges only; bar between orbit and supratemporal fossa narrow,
and sculpturing restricted to anterior surface; jugal does not
extend rostral to the anterior margin of orbit; cross section of
distal end of the quadrate mediolaterally wide and anteroposter-
iorly thin; ventral half of lacrimal tapering ventroposteriorly;
large foramen present on the lateral surface of jugal, near its
FIGURE 2. Yacarerani boliviensis gen. et sp. nov., MNK-PAL5063. Skull and lower jaw in A, right lateral, B, ventral, and C, dorsal views. D, right
lower jaw in dorsal view. Scale bar equals 2 cm. Abbreviations:1d, first dentary tooth; 1pm,2pm, first and second premaxillary teeth; ds, symphyseal
region of dentary; dsa, flattened area in the dentary-surangular contact; gl, glenoid cavity; jp, laterally projected prong of jugal; q, quadrate.
FIGURE 1. Location of fossil site (star) in Amboro National Park,
Bolivia. Scale bar equals 200 km.
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 1317

anterior margin; procumbent premaxillary and anterior dentary
alveoli; and ectopterygoid does not participate in palatine bar.
Within this group, Yacarerani and Adamantinasuchus share simi-
lar teeth morphology, but they differ in several features, such as
presence in the former taxon of a diastema separating insicivi-
form from molariform tooth rows; four premaxillary and six
maxillary teeth in Yacarerani versus three and seven, respec-
tively, in Adamantinasuchus; frontal median crest absent in
Yacarerani; lateral temporal fenestra in Yacarerani dorsoventally
shallower than in Adamantinasuchus; skull roof straight in lateral
view in Yacarerani, instead of being dorsally convex as in Ada-
mantinasuchus; lacrimal with a ventral process in Yacarerani;
tooth wear facets only present in Yacarerani.
The aptitude for anteroposterior movements of the jaws is a
feeding-related trait that is exclusive to notosuchians among
crocodylomorphs (e.g., Bonaparte, 1991; Clark et al., 1989). This
trait has a wide distribution within notosuchians, but it is not
unequivocally correlated with tooth complexity (i.e., Notosu-
chus,Mariliasuchus), suggesting that complex dental patterns
evolved after propalinal motions of the jaw were acquired. In
this regard, overall cranial morphology of Yacarerani (and Ada-
matinasuchus) closely resembles that of Mariliasuchus, although
its teeth are completely different.
The Cajones Formation has been regarded as Maastrichtian
but the age is far from settled. It was considered heretofore as
Maastrichtian based on the possible presence of Pucapristis
FIGURE 3. Yacarerani boliviensis gen. et sp. nov., MNK-PAL5063. A, upper and B, lower marginal teeth in occlusal view. C, composite
reconstruction of skull in palatal view. D, composite reconstruction of mandible in dorsal view. E,F, isolated molariform tooth in E, mesial/distal
and D, occlusal views. Scale bars equal 2 cm (A–D), and 1 mm (E,F).
FIGURE 4. Unhatched eggs (arrows) found in association with
Yacarerani boliviensis. Scale bars equal 2 cm.
1318 JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY, VOL. 29, NO. 4, 2009

branisi and Gasteroclupea branisai (Lo
´pez, 1975; Aguilera et al.,
1989), two taxa that were also documented in Maastrichtian
marine beds in Peru
´(Vilquechico Formation; Jaillard et al.,
1993), northwestern Argentina (Yacoraite Formation; Cione
and Pereira, 1985), and elsewhere in Bolivia (El Molino Forma-
tion; Cione and Pereira, 1985). However, the locality that pro-
duced Yacarerani comprises red sandstones of fluvial origin.
Because Yacarerani is related most closely to Adamantinasuchus
(Nobre and Carvalho, 2006) from the Adamantina Formation of
the Bauru Group, Brazil (Dias-Brito et al., 2001), we infer a
Turonian–Santonian age for the level of the Cajones Formation
that produced MNK-PAL5063 and MNK-PAL5064.
Fossil content of the Cajones Formation is congruent with that
of the Turonian–Coniacian Adamantina Formation of Brazil
(Candeiro and Martinelli, 2006) and the Santonian Bajo de la
Carpa Formation of northwestern Patagonia (Bonaparte, 1991;
Candeiro and Martinelli, 2006), in which notosuchian crocodyli-
forms are among the most abundant tetrapod remains (Pol and
Gasparini, 2007). Diversity in dental patterns may reflect differ-
ent dietary habits, and depict notosuchians as a very versatile
group that filled a vast range of ecological niches during the
Cretaceous. The high taxonomic and morphological diversity of
notosuchians in South America occurred during Aptian through
Campanian times, and contrasts sharply with the Cretaceous
crocodylian fauna from North America, Asia, and Europe,
which is composed mainly by neosuchian taxa (e.g., basal Eusu-
chia) and basal crocodyliforms (e.g., Gobiosuchus, Zosuchus,
Sichuanosuchus). The latter fauna does not exhibit the variety
in dental pattern and numerical abundance that characterizes
southern notosuchians (Pol and Gasparini, 2007).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Marcelo P. Isasi for the excavation and preparation
of the specimens. We acknowledge financial support from Agen-
cia Nacional de Promocio
´n Cientı
´fica y Te
´cnica, CONICET, and
National Geographic Society (to FEN). Comments from three
anonymous reviewers and editor Sean Modesto greatly im-
proved the manuscript.
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Submitted November 20, 2008; accepted February 24, 2009.
1320 JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY, VOL. 29, NO. 4, 2009