Prognathodon waiparaensis redescribed + Sauropia, new procolophonoid from Triassic of Brazail + Late Cretaceous herpetofauna from France
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Ben Creisler
Jan 28, 2026, 1:21:30 PM (5 days ago) Jan 28
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
Reptile papers:
George Young, Al Mannering, Mark Fraser & Paul Scofield (2026)
Redescription of Prognathodon waiparaensis and comments on its phylogenetic position
Alcheringa (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2025.2607629
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2025.2607629
Prognathodon waiparaensis: was a large-bodied mosasaurine mosasaur known from the latest Cretaceous of New Zealand. The holotype and only described specimen of the species has remained on display at the Canterbury Museum for more than 50 years after its initial description in 1971, during which time mosasaur systematics has substantially changed, and the generic placement of P. waiparaensis has come into question. Following 3D surface scanning of the holotype material, a redescription and comparison with more recently described species has revealed some minor changes to its initial description, including the identification of additional cranial material. Additional autapomorphies have been identified in a posterolateral pit on the coronoid and a large posterior projection on the axis intercentrum. The orientation of the two carinae on the marginal dentition ranges from anterior–posterior to anterior–labial throughout the jaw in a pattern that does not appear to have been previously reported in other taxa. An updated and rescored character dataset for P. waiparaensis has been inserted into a recently published phylogenetic character matrix, producing phylogenetic results that find P. waiparaensis to be sister to Prognathodon solvayi. The results also find polyphyly amongst Prognathodon species, and potential homoplasy amongst some of the characters diagnostic for the genus. Despite bearing many cranial morphological similarities with other Prognathodon members often related to a generalist diet that includes durophagy, the teeth of P. waiparaensis do not show the morphology or wear that is observed with other durophagous taxa, suggesting a difference in palaeoecology from many of its recognized congeners.
=====
Olivier Jansen, Géraldine Garcia, Olga Otero, Marc Augé, Bernard Gomez & Xavier Valentin (2026)
Freshwater amphibians and squamates from Villeveyrac (lower Campanian; Hérault, France): palaeodiversity, palaeoenvironment and implications for the Late Cretaceous palaeobiogeography of the European herpetofauna
Papers in Palaeontology 12(1): e70055
doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.70055
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.70055
Free pdf:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/spp2.70055
The Late Cretaceous witnessed numerous transgression–regression sequences and the onset of a global cooling phase at the start of the Campanian. In the European archipelago, these environmental changes, combined with active plate tectonics, facilitated the formation of ephemeral land bridges that served as dispersal routes for a variety of clades. However, the timing and mechanisms of these dispersals remain poorly understood, notably because of the scarcity of lower Campanian fossil-bearing continental outcrops. Over the last two decades, the locality of Villeveyrac (Hérault, France) has yielded lower Campanian freshwater deposits, particularly rich in vertebrates and plants. Despite abundant findings, the diversity of amphibians and squamates has been sparsely documented. In this study we identify six amphibian taxa (Albanerpetontidae, ?Palaeobatrachidae indet., ?Neobatrachia indet., Batrachosauroididae indet., and two indeterminate anurans) alongside six squamate taxa, which include a pan-shinisaur lizard, a madtsoiid snake of the genus Herensugea and indeterminate monstersaur, ?anguid, iguanomorph and squamate. Six of these 12 taxa, specifically the palaeobatrachid, batrachosauroidid, pan-shinisaur, madtsoiid, monstersaur and iguanomorph, correspond to the earliest occurrence of their clades in Europe. Additionally, we tentatively document one of the oldest anguids in the world. For each of these groups, we discuss palaeobiogeographical and palaeoenvironmental implications. The amphibian and squamate composition highlights a combination of aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial features, consistent with other animal and plant remains. The lower Campanian deposits of Villeveyrac are thus interpreted as a floodplain with braided streams, river channels, and surrounding riparian and paludal habitats, under a warm and humid subtropical climate.
======
George Young, Al Mannering, Mark Fraser & Paul Scofield (2026)
Redescription of Prognathodon waiparaensis and comments on its phylogenetic position
Alcheringa (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2025.2607629
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2025.2607629
Prognathodon waiparaensis: was a large-bodied mosasaurine mosasaur known from the latest Cretaceous of New Zealand. The holotype and only described specimen of the species has remained on display at the Canterbury Museum for more than 50 years after its initial description in 1971, during which time mosasaur systematics has substantially changed, and the generic placement of P. waiparaensis has come into question. Following 3D surface scanning of the holotype material, a redescription and comparison with more recently described species has revealed some minor changes to its initial description, including the identification of additional cranial material. Additional autapomorphies have been identified in a posterolateral pit on the coronoid and a large posterior projection on the axis intercentrum. The orientation of the two carinae on the marginal dentition ranges from anterior–posterior to anterior–labial throughout the jaw in a pattern that does not appear to have been previously reported in other taxa. An updated and rescored character dataset for P. waiparaensis has been inserted into a recently published phylogenetic character matrix, producing phylogenetic results that find P. waiparaensis to be sister to Prognathodon solvayi. The results also find polyphyly amongst Prognathodon species, and potential homoplasy amongst some of the characters diagnostic for the genus. Despite bearing many cranial morphological similarities with other Prognathodon members often related to a generalist diet that includes durophagy, the teeth of P. waiparaensis do not show the morphology or wear that is observed with other durophagous taxa, suggesting a difference in palaeoecology from many of its recognized congeners.
=====
Free pdf:
Sauropia macrorhinus gen. et sp. nov.
Rodrigo T. Müller, Lúcio Roberto-da-Silva, Pedro Lucas Porcela Aurélio & Leonardo Kerber (2026)
The smallest tetrapod from the Middle Triassic of South America: a new procolophonoid parareptile from the Ladinian of Southern Brazil
Scientific Reports 16: 866
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35114-3
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-35114-3
The Middle Triassic fossil record of South American parareptiles is scarce, with only a few procolophonoid specimens known. Here, we describe Sauropia macrorhinus gen. et sp. nov., a procolophonoid from the Ladinian (Pinheiros-Chiniquá Sequence of the Santa Maria Supersequence) of southern Brazil. The holotype, a nearly complete skull measuring only 9.5 mm in length, represents the smallest tetrapod known from these deposits. Its unique combination of features includes a proportionally large external naris, slender dorsal ramus of the maxilla, broad interorbital space, and three premaxillary teeth. Phylogenetic analyses consistently recover Sauropia macrorhinus gen. et sp. nov. as an early-diverging procolophonid, although its phylogenetic placement is complicated by its putatively immature ontogenetic stage. Its morphology provides valuable insight into early developmental stages of parareptiles and contributes to the understanding of Middle Triassic terrestrial ecosystems. Based on size and dentition, the new taxon was likely insectivorous or fed on other small invertebrates, possibly being predated upon by small carnivorous organisms. This discovery expands the taxonomic and ecological diversity known for Middle Triassic faunas of South America and enhances our understanding of the structure and complexity of terrestrial food webs in Middle Triassic ecosystems, preceding the Carnian Pluvial Episode and the rise of dinosaurs.
News:
(in Portuguese)
https://www.ufsm.br/2026/01/28/paleontologos-da-ufsm-descobrem-cranio-fossil-com-menos-de-1-centimetro-no-centro-do-rio-grande-do-sul?amp
====
Sauropia macrorhinus gen. et sp. nov.
Rodrigo T. Müller, Lúcio Roberto-da-Silva, Pedro Lucas Porcela Aurélio & Leonardo Kerber (2026)
The smallest tetrapod from the Middle Triassic of South America: a new procolophonoid parareptile from the Ladinian of Southern Brazil
Scientific Reports 16: 866
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35114-3
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-35114-3
The Middle Triassic fossil record of South American parareptiles is scarce, with only a few procolophonoid specimens known. Here, we describe Sauropia macrorhinus gen. et sp. nov., a procolophonoid from the Ladinian (Pinheiros-Chiniquá Sequence of the Santa Maria Supersequence) of southern Brazil. The holotype, a nearly complete skull measuring only 9.5 mm in length, represents the smallest tetrapod known from these deposits. Its unique combination of features includes a proportionally large external naris, slender dorsal ramus of the maxilla, broad interorbital space, and three premaxillary teeth. Phylogenetic analyses consistently recover Sauropia macrorhinus gen. et sp. nov. as an early-diverging procolophonid, although its phylogenetic placement is complicated by its putatively immature ontogenetic stage. Its morphology provides valuable insight into early developmental stages of parareptiles and contributes to the understanding of Middle Triassic terrestrial ecosystems. Based on size and dentition, the new taxon was likely insectivorous or fed on other small invertebrates, possibly being predated upon by small carnivorous organisms. This discovery expands the taxonomic and ecological diversity known for Middle Triassic faunas of South America and enhances our understanding of the structure and complexity of terrestrial food webs in Middle Triassic ecosystems, preceding the Carnian Pluvial Episode and the rise of dinosaurs.
News:
(in Portuguese)
https://www.ufsm.br/2026/01/28/paleontologos-da-ufsm-descobrem-cranio-fossil-com-menos-de-1-centimetro-no-centro-do-rio-grande-do-sul?amp
====
Free pdf:
Olivier Jansen, Géraldine Garcia, Olga Otero, Marc Augé, Bernard Gomez & Xavier Valentin (2026)
Freshwater amphibians and squamates from Villeveyrac (lower Campanian; Hérault, France): palaeodiversity, palaeoenvironment and implications for the Late Cretaceous palaeobiogeography of the European herpetofauna
Papers in Palaeontology 12(1): e70055
doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.70055
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.70055
Free pdf:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/spp2.70055
The Late Cretaceous witnessed numerous transgression–regression sequences and the onset of a global cooling phase at the start of the Campanian. In the European archipelago, these environmental changes, combined with active plate tectonics, facilitated the formation of ephemeral land bridges that served as dispersal routes for a variety of clades. However, the timing and mechanisms of these dispersals remain poorly understood, notably because of the scarcity of lower Campanian fossil-bearing continental outcrops. Over the last two decades, the locality of Villeveyrac (Hérault, France) has yielded lower Campanian freshwater deposits, particularly rich in vertebrates and plants. Despite abundant findings, the diversity of amphibians and squamates has been sparsely documented. In this study we identify six amphibian taxa (Albanerpetontidae, ?Palaeobatrachidae indet., ?Neobatrachia indet., Batrachosauroididae indet., and two indeterminate anurans) alongside six squamate taxa, which include a pan-shinisaur lizard, a madtsoiid snake of the genus Herensugea and indeterminate monstersaur, ?anguid, iguanomorph and squamate. Six of these 12 taxa, specifically the palaeobatrachid, batrachosauroidid, pan-shinisaur, madtsoiid, monstersaur and iguanomorph, correspond to the earliest occurrence of their clades in Europe. Additionally, we tentatively document one of the oldest anguids in the world. For each of these groups, we discuss palaeobiogeographical and palaeoenvironmental implications. The amphibian and squamate composition highlights a combination of aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial features, consistent with other animal and plant remains. The lower Campanian deposits of Villeveyrac are thus interpreted as a floodplain with braided streams, river channels, and surrounding riparian and paludal habitats, under a warm and humid subtropical climate.
======
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