Doratodon (notosuchian) specimen from Late Cretaceous of Italy (free pdf)
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Ben Creisler
Dec 6, 2025, 1:29:18 PM (yesterday) Dec 6
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Ben Creisler
A new paper:
Free pdf:
Marco Muscioni, Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Cecily S C Nicholl, Tullio Perentin, Diego Dreossi & Federico Fanti (2025)
A ziphodont crocodylomorph from Villaggio del Pescatore Lagerstätte (Campanian, Italy)
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 205(4): zlaf171
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf171
https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/205/4/zlaf171/8372002
Crocodylomorph diversity in Europe peaked during the Late Cretaceous, with eusuchians dominating the fossil record. However, ziphodont forms, including the enigmatic Doratodon, are increasingly recognized from multiple Santonian–Maastrichtian European localities. A new occurrence from the earliest Campanian Villaggio del Pescatore site in northeastern Italy represents the most complete notosuchian from the latest Cretaceous Mediterranean carbonate platforms. High-resolution micro-computed tomographic imaging reveals key dental features, including alternate, asymmetric tooth replacement and varied tooth morphologies lacking denticulated carinae. The preserved neurovascular architecture of the specimen also provides new data on trigeminal innervation, suggesting high tactile sensitivity. Comparisons with both eastern and western European taxa support the hypothesis of biogeographical partitioning between the western Ibero-Armorican region, the Adriatic–Dinaric Carbonate Platform (ADCP), and the remaining eastern European archipelago. The Villaggio del Pescatore occurrence increases the faunal diversity from the site and strengthens the biogeographical links between Italian and other eastern European faunas, while also emphasizing evolutionary divergence from western forms, such as Doratodon ibericus. This specimen bridges a gap in the geographical distribution of Doratodon-like forms and suggests intermittent faunal exchanges across ADCP landmasses, underscoring the pivotal role of the ADCP in the persistence, diversification, and dispersal of ziphodont crocodylomorphs and other vertebrates across the Late Cretaceous European Archipelago.
Marco Muscioni, Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Cecily S C Nicholl, Tullio Perentin, Diego Dreossi & Federico Fanti (2025)
A ziphodont crocodylomorph from Villaggio del Pescatore Lagerstätte (Campanian, Italy)
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 205(4): zlaf171
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf171
https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/205/4/zlaf171/8372002
Crocodylomorph diversity in Europe peaked during the Late Cretaceous, with eusuchians dominating the fossil record. However, ziphodont forms, including the enigmatic Doratodon, are increasingly recognized from multiple Santonian–Maastrichtian European localities. A new occurrence from the earliest Campanian Villaggio del Pescatore site in northeastern Italy represents the most complete notosuchian from the latest Cretaceous Mediterranean carbonate platforms. High-resolution micro-computed tomographic imaging reveals key dental features, including alternate, asymmetric tooth replacement and varied tooth morphologies lacking denticulated carinae. The preserved neurovascular architecture of the specimen also provides new data on trigeminal innervation, suggesting high tactile sensitivity. Comparisons with both eastern and western European taxa support the hypothesis of biogeographical partitioning between the western Ibero-Armorican region, the Adriatic–Dinaric Carbonate Platform (ADCP), and the remaining eastern European archipelago. The Villaggio del Pescatore occurrence increases the faunal diversity from the site and strengthens the biogeographical links between Italian and other eastern European faunas, while also emphasizing evolutionary divergence from western forms, such as Doratodon ibericus. This specimen bridges a gap in the geographical distribution of Doratodon-like forms and suggests intermittent faunal exchanges across ADCP landmasses, underscoring the pivotal role of the ADCP in the persistence, diversification, and dispersal of ziphodont crocodylomorphs and other vertebrates across the Late Cretaceous European Archipelago.
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