Oweniasuchus
Encyclopedia
Oweniasuchus is an extinct genus
of goniopholidid
mesoeucrocodylia
n. Remains have been found from England
and Portugal
that are Cretaceous
in age.
The type species
of Oweniasuchus is O. major from the Early Cretaceous
Upper Purbeck Group in Beccles
, England. It is known from a mandibular ramus that was first described as Brachydectes minor by Richard Owen
in 1879. Because the generic name Brachydectes was preoccupied by a beetle, the species was reassigned to the new genus Oweniasuchus by Arthur Smith Woodward
in 1885, along with another species, B. minor, also described by Owen from material from Beccles. Recently, O. major has been considered a nomen dubium
because the holotype specimen (BMNH 48304) is too fragmentary to provide an adequate diagnosis. O. minor has since been proposed to be a synonym of the atoposaurid
Theriosuchus pusillus
. Two other species, O. lusitanicus and O. pulchelus, are known from the Late Cretaceous
of Portugal.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of goniopholidid
Goniopholididae
Goniopholididae is an extinct family of moderate-sized semi-aquatic crocodyliforms similar to living crocodiles. They lived between the Early Jurassic and the Late Cretaceous.-Geographical distribution:...
mesoeucrocodylia
Mesoeucrocodylia
Mesoeucrocodylia is the name of the clade that includes Eusuchia and the paraphyletic group Mesosuchia. The group appeared during the Early Jurassic, and continues to the present day....
n. Remains have been found from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
that are Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
in age.
The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of Oweniasuchus is O. major from the Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
Upper Purbeck Group in Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
, England. It is known from a mandibular ramus that was first described as Brachydectes minor by Richard Owen
Richard Owen
Sir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
in 1879. Because the generic name Brachydectes was preoccupied by a beetle, the species was reassigned to the new genus Oweniasuchus by Arthur Smith Woodward
Arthur Smith Woodward
Sir Arthur Smith Woodward was an English palaeontologist.-Biography:Woodward was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England and was educated there and at Owens College, Manchester. He joined the staff of the Department of Geology at the Natural History Museum in 1882. He became assistant Keeper of...
in 1885, along with another species, B. minor, also described by Owen from material from Beccles. Recently, O. major has been considered a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
because the holotype specimen (BMNH 48304) is too fragmentary to provide an adequate diagnosis. O. minor has since been proposed to be a synonym of the atoposaurid
Atoposauridae
Atoposauridae is a family of crocodile-like archosaurs. Members of the family have been found from France, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Germany, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Cameroon, and Thailand.-Phylogeny:...
Theriosuchus pusillus
Theriosuchus
Theriosuchus is an extinct genus of atoposaurid mesoeucrocodylian from the Late Jurassic of Europe, the Early Cretaceous of Asia and the Late Cretaceous of Romania. The five species are T. pusillus from England , T. ibericus from Spain , T. guimarotae from Portugal , T. sympiestodon from Romania...
. Two other species, O. lusitanicus and O. pulchelus, are known from the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
of Portugal.
External links
- Oweniasuchus in the Paleobiology DatabasePaleobiology Database' is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms.-History:The Paleobiology Database was founded in 2000. It has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council...