Prognathodon cipactli, new mosasaur species from Cretaceous of Mexico + Edentosuchus (Cretaceous protosuchid, China) redescribed + Pterodactyloid radius from Middle Jurassic of England
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Ben Creisler
Mar 10, 2026, 1:32:34 PM (3 days ago) Mar 10
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Ben Creisler
New papers:
Héctor E. Rivera-Sylva, Iván E.Sánchez-Uribe, José Rubén Guzmán-Gutierrez, Rosalba Lizbeth Nava Rodríguez, Adolfo A. Rangel-Morelos & Nicholas Longrich (2026)
A new species of Prognathodon (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Early Maastrichtian of Nuevo León, Mexico
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie – Abhandlungen (advance online publication)
DOI: 10.1127/njgpa/1303
https://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/prepub/108122/A_new_species_of_Prognathodon_Squamata_Mosasauridae_from_the_Early_Maastrichtian_of_Nuevo_Leon_Mexico
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EA80A1B6-6079-4BEE-9305-5359356554F9
Mosasaurs staged a major radiation at the end of the Cretaceous period before perishing at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Although mosasaurs are well-known from the Late Cretaceous of North America, relatively little is known about the mosasaurids of Mexico. In 2001 the largely complete skull of a mosasaurid was collected from outcrops of the Early Maastrichtian Mendez Formation at Rancho Las Barretas, 10 kilometers northeast of Linares. Although much of the skeleton was reported to have been present, only the skull was collected and the quarry has not been relocated. The specimen was described and figured in 2007 by Buchy et al. (2007) and reported as an indeterminate mosasaurid. Although the specimen has suffered some erosion after exposure in the desert, it includes most of the skull. We redescribe this specimen and show that it represents a derived species of Prognathodon, P. cipactli sp. nov. The specimen shows specializations for an apex predator niche, including a a short rostrum with robust jaws and teeth, suggesting that specialization for taking large prey preceded the evolution of large size in prognathodontins. The specimen enhances our understanding of the fossil record and paleoecology of the Western Interior Seaway during the Late Cretaceous, showing how prognathodontins successfully exploited the top predator niche globally in the Maastrichtian.
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Prognathodon cipactli sp. nov.
Héctor E. Rivera-Sylva, Iván E.Sánchez-Uribe, José Rubén Guzmán-Gutierrez, Rosalba Lizbeth Nava Rodríguez, Adolfo A. Rangel-Morelos & Nicholas Longrich (2026)
A new species of Prognathodon (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Early Maastrichtian of Nuevo León, Mexico
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie – Abhandlungen (advance online publication)
DOI: 10.1127/njgpa/1303
https://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/njgpa/detail/prepub/108122/A_new_species_of_Prognathodon_Squamata_Mosasauridae_from_the_Early_Maastrichtian_of_Nuevo_Leon_Mexico
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EA80A1B6-6079-4BEE-9305-5359356554F9
Mosasaurs staged a major radiation at the end of the Cretaceous period before perishing at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Although mosasaurs are well-known from the Late Cretaceous of North America, relatively little is known about the mosasaurids of Mexico. In 2001 the largely complete skull of a mosasaurid was collected from outcrops of the Early Maastrichtian Mendez Formation at Rancho Las Barretas, 10 kilometers northeast of Linares. Although much of the skeleton was reported to have been present, only the skull was collected and the quarry has not been relocated. The specimen was described and figured in 2007 by Buchy et al. (2007) and reported as an indeterminate mosasaurid. Although the specimen has suffered some erosion after exposure in the desert, it includes most of the skull. We redescribe this specimen and show that it represents a derived species of Prognathodon, P. cipactli sp. nov. The specimen shows specializations for an apex predator niche, including a a short rostrum with robust jaws and teeth, suggesting that specialization for taking large prey preceded the evolution of large size in prognathodontins. The specimen enhances our understanding of the fossil record and paleoecology of the Western Interior Seaway during the Late Cretaceous, showing how prognathodontins successfully exploited the top predator niche globally in the Maastrichtian.
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Yuxin Tan, Shunxing Jiang, Yizhi Xu, Yaowei Zhang & Xiaolin Wang (2026)
New material of Edentosuchus tienshanensis Young, 1973 (Crocodyliformes, Protosuchidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group, northwestern China
Cretaceous Research 106367
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106367
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019566712600056X
Highlights
The new specimen exhibits unprecedented completeness, revealing more comprehensive and detailed morphological characteristics of this basal crocodyliform than previously known Edentosuchus tienshanensis specimens.
The preserved complete specimen fully displays the unique structure of the palate.
The specimen exhibits morphological differences from previous specimens due to variations in ontogenetic stages.
Abstract
Protosuchidae is a clade of basal crocodyliforms that existed from the Late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous. Previous understanding of Edentosuchus tienshanensis Young, 1973 has been limited due to the fragmentary nature of known specimens, particularly the lack of postcranial skeletons associated with the cranial material. Here, we report new specimens of Edentosuchus tienshanensis from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group in the Wuerho (Urho) area of Xinjiang, China. One of the new specimens preserves the complete palatal region, occipital area, and the portion of the lower jaw posterior to the dentition, revealing morphological features previously undocumented. Using computed tomography (CT) scanning, we digitally reconstructed and conducted comparative anatomical analyses of the most complete specimen, providing novel insights into the morphology of Edentosuchus tienshanensis. These findings fill the knowledge gaps caused by the incomplete nature of previous specimens and further confirm its phylogenetic position.
New material of Edentosuchus tienshanensis Young, 1973 (Crocodyliformes, Protosuchidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group, northwestern China
Cretaceous Research 106367
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106367
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019566712600056X
Highlights
The new specimen exhibits unprecedented completeness, revealing more comprehensive and detailed morphological characteristics of this basal crocodyliform than previously known Edentosuchus tienshanensis specimens.
The preserved complete specimen fully displays the unique structure of the palate.
The specimen exhibits morphological differences from previous specimens due to variations in ontogenetic stages.
Abstract
Protosuchidae is a clade of basal crocodyliforms that existed from the Late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous. Previous understanding of Edentosuchus tienshanensis Young, 1973 has been limited due to the fragmentary nature of known specimens, particularly the lack of postcranial skeletons associated with the cranial material. Here, we report new specimens of Edentosuchus tienshanensis from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group in the Wuerho (Urho) area of Xinjiang, China. One of the new specimens preserves the complete palatal region, occipital area, and the portion of the lower jaw posterior to the dentition, revealing morphological features previously undocumented. Using computed tomography (CT) scanning, we digitally reconstructed and conducted comparative anatomical analyses of the most complete specimen, providing novel insights into the morphology of Edentosuchus tienshanensis. These findings fill the knowledge gaps caused by the incomplete nature of previous specimens and further confirm its phylogenetic position.
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Alexander O. Averianov & Alexey V. Lopatin (2026)
Pterodactyloid radius from the Middle Jurassic of England
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2026.2625205
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2026.2625205
The Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Stonesfield Slate locality in England is the richest Middle Jurassic pterosaur locality in the world. In this study, we present an analysis of the radius (PIN 5668/1) from a small collection of pterosaur bones from the Stonesfield Slate, which is stored at the Palaeontological Institute in Moscow. With its oblique distal margin, prominent ventral flange, large anterior and posterior tubercles, and small dorsal tubercle, this radius is similar to the radius of Dsungaripterus. The only difference is the lack of a prominent dorsal projection. This similarity enables PIN 5668/1 to be attributed to the Pterodactyloidea. The presence of Pterodactyloidea in the Stonesfield Slate was previously uncertain and based on a poorly preserved synsacrum. The Bathonian Stonesfield pterodactyloid is the oldest known to date.
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Pterodactyloid radius from the Middle Jurassic of England
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2026.2625205
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2026.2625205
The Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Stonesfield Slate locality in England is the richest Middle Jurassic pterosaur locality in the world. In this study, we present an analysis of the radius (PIN 5668/1) from a small collection of pterosaur bones from the Stonesfield Slate, which is stored at the Palaeontological Institute in Moscow. With its oblique distal margin, prominent ventral flange, large anterior and posterior tubercles, and small dorsal tubercle, this radius is similar to the radius of Dsungaripterus. The only difference is the lack of a prominent dorsal projection. This similarity enables PIN 5668/1 to be attributed to the Pterodactyloidea. The presence of Pterodactyloidea in the Stonesfield Slate was previously uncertain and based on a poorly preserved synsacrum. The Bathonian Stonesfield pterodactyloid is the oldest known to date.
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