Boyacasaurus, new pliosaur from Cretaceous of Colombia + Massaliasuchus new specimen from France
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Ben Creisler
Nov 3, 2025, 12:19:45 PM (3 days ago) Nov 3
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Ben Creisler
A new paper:
Cristian D. Benavides-Cabra, Renzo A. Garavito-Camacho, María E. Páramo-Fonseca & Daniel Eduardo Pomar (2025)
A new brachaucheniine pliosaurid (Plesiosauria, Pliosauridae) from the upper Aptian of Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2580967
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2025.2580967
ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9F237C35-4DF9-467F-A2DB-A3FBD19CDA14
We describe two new pliosaurid specimens from upper Aptian beds near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia. Morphological analysis reveals they represent a new brachaucheniine genus and species, Boyacasaurus sumercei gen. et sp. nov. Autapomorphies include: (1) an extremely elongated parasphenoid anterior projection surpassing the posterior interpterygoid vacuity margin, preventing midline pterygoid contact anterior to the posterior interpterygoid vacuity; and (2) palatines exhibiting a slope change near the midline, transitioning from a flat medial surface to a slightly dorsally inclined surface meeting the maxillae. Boyacasaurus is further distinguished by: maxilla forming anterior, lateral, and posterior halves of the internal naris margin; a short maxillary medial process posterior to the internal naris; a rounded basioccipital condyle lacking precondylar constriction and with a weakly developed ventral process; and palatines extending anteriorly beyond the pterygoid. Phylogenetic analysis places Boyacasaurus within Brachaucheniinae, closely related to long-snouted, subtrihedral-toothed pliosaurs Stenorhynchosaurus munozi and Luskhan itilensis. As the youngest recorded subtrihedral-toothed pliosaurid, Boyacasaurus demonstrates that the proposed decrease in Cretaceous pliosaurid dental disparity did not occur before the late Aptian.
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France de Lapparent de Broin (2025)
Description of a new specimen of the Late Cretaceous allodaposuchid crocodile Massaliasuchus affuvelensis (Matheron, 1869), with stratigraphic and palaeogeographic comments
Revue de Paléobiologie 44(7): 1-43
doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16529344
https://zenodo.org/records/16529344
An unpublished crocodilian specimen is assigned to Massaliasuchus affuvelensis (Matheron, 1869a), family Allodaposuchidae Narváez et al., 2015. The specimen is relocated to its original site, the Campanian Fuveau lignite Mining Basin of the Arc syncline (Provence, France), thanks to a preliminary examination of the palynoflora of its matrix, which appears to be that of the site of the syntype of “Crocodilus” affuvelensis Matheron. The discoveries of the Cretaceous reptiles by Matheron (1862–1878) in the area are presented, following his original stratigraphic and lithologic presentation, updated by more recent studies of the Basin including of palaeomagnetism, and confirming the early Campanian age of the type locality. The study of the morphology of this specimen (a dentary with preserved teeth) consists of a detailed analysis of the characters of the dentary and its dentition, in comparison with other allodaposuchids and some other crocodiles as external witnesses, significantly broadening the knowledge of this taxon. The belonging to the family is confirmed, the relative primitiveness and antiquity of the species are addressed. The presences of the Cretaceous crocodiles including those of Matheron – and of the turtles having shared the same possible dispersal mode in the Western and Central Cretaceous European Archipelago are compared, re-evaluating the possibilities of inter-island relationships by these freshwater reptiles.
Boyacasaurus sumercei gen. et sp. nov.
Cristian D. Benavides-Cabra, Renzo A. Garavito-Camacho, María E. Páramo-Fonseca & Daniel Eduardo Pomar (2025)
A new brachaucheniine pliosaurid (Plesiosauria, Pliosauridae) from the upper Aptian of Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2580967
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2025.2580967
ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9F237C35-4DF9-467F-A2DB-A3FBD19CDA14
We describe two new pliosaurid specimens from upper Aptian beds near Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia. Morphological analysis reveals they represent a new brachaucheniine genus and species, Boyacasaurus sumercei gen. et sp. nov. Autapomorphies include: (1) an extremely elongated parasphenoid anterior projection surpassing the posterior interpterygoid vacuity margin, preventing midline pterygoid contact anterior to the posterior interpterygoid vacuity; and (2) palatines exhibiting a slope change near the midline, transitioning from a flat medial surface to a slightly dorsally inclined surface meeting the maxillae. Boyacasaurus is further distinguished by: maxilla forming anterior, lateral, and posterior halves of the internal naris margin; a short maxillary medial process posterior to the internal naris; a rounded basioccipital condyle lacking precondylar constriction and with a weakly developed ventral process; and palatines extending anteriorly beyond the pterygoid. Phylogenetic analysis places Boyacasaurus within Brachaucheniinae, closely related to long-snouted, subtrihedral-toothed pliosaurs Stenorhynchosaurus munozi and Luskhan itilensis. As the youngest recorded subtrihedral-toothed pliosaurid, Boyacasaurus demonstrates that the proposed decrease in Cretaceous pliosaurid dental disparity did not occur before the late Aptian.
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Also, now with abstract:
Free pdf:
France de Lapparent de Broin (2025)
Description of a new specimen of the Late Cretaceous allodaposuchid crocodile Massaliasuchus affuvelensis (Matheron, 1869), with stratigraphic and palaeogeographic comments
Revue de Paléobiologie 44(7): 1-43
doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16529344
https://zenodo.org/records/16529344
An unpublished crocodilian specimen is assigned to Massaliasuchus affuvelensis (Matheron, 1869a), family Allodaposuchidae Narváez et al., 2015. The specimen is relocated to its original site, the Campanian Fuveau lignite Mining Basin of the Arc syncline (Provence, France), thanks to a preliminary examination of the palynoflora of its matrix, which appears to be that of the site of the syntype of “Crocodilus” affuvelensis Matheron. The discoveries of the Cretaceous reptiles by Matheron (1862–1878) in the area are presented, following his original stratigraphic and lithologic presentation, updated by more recent studies of the Basin including of palaeomagnetism, and confirming the early Campanian age of the type locality. The study of the morphology of this specimen (a dentary with preserved teeth) consists of a detailed analysis of the characters of the dentary and its dentition, in comparison with other allodaposuchids and some other crocodiles as external witnesses, significantly broadening the knowledge of this taxon. The belonging to the family is confirmed, the relative primitiveness and antiquity of the species are addressed. The presences of the Cretaceous crocodiles including those of Matheron – and of the turtles having shared the same possible dispersal mode in the Western and Central Cretaceous European Archipelago are compared, re-evaluating the possibilities of inter-island relationships by these freshwater reptiles.
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