Piscogavialis
Encyclopedia
Piscogavialis is an extinct genus
of gryposuchine
gavialid
crocodylian. The only species yet known is P. jugaliperforatus. Fossils of Piscogavialis have been found from the Mio
-Pliocene
Pisco Formation of the Sacaco Basin in southern Peru
. It is the first reptile known from the formation, which is otherwise notable for its high diversity of fossil vertebrates.
Piscogavialis is known only from a single specimen, but it represents some of the best preserved gavialid material known from South America
. The skull is preserved in three dimensions and is nearly complete. A mandible
and some postcranial material have also been found in association with the skull. Several important features of the occipital
region of the skull support a referral to the family
Gavialidae, which also includes the extant gharial
and false gharial
.
, is also known to have lived in a coastal setting. The presence of other gryposuchines in coastal strata may be an indication that all members of the subfamily inhabited coastal environments. However, some gryposuchines have been found from localities that clearly represent non-marine environments.
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 gryposuchine
Gryposuchinae
Gryposuchinae is an extinct subfamily of gavialid crocodylians. Gryposuchines lived mainly in South America during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. Most were long-snouted coastal forms. The group was named in 2007 and includes genera such as Gryposuchus and Aktiogavialis.-Description:Gryposuchines...
gavialid
Gavialidae
Gavialidae is a family of reptiles within the order Crocodilia. Gavialidae consists of only one surviving species, the gharial , which is native to India. Many extinct species are also known...
crocodylian. The only species yet known is P. jugaliperforatus. Fossils of Piscogavialis have been found from the Mio
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
-Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
Pisco Formation of the Sacaco Basin in southern Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. It is the first reptile known from the formation, which is otherwise notable for its high diversity of fossil vertebrates.
Piscogavialis is known only from a single specimen, but it represents some of the best preserved gavialid material known from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The skull is preserved in three dimensions and is nearly complete. A mandible
Mandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
and some postcranial material have also been found in association with the skull. Several important features of the occipital
Occiput
The occiput is the anatomical term for the posterior portion of the head, in insects the posterior part of those head capsule.-Clinical significance:Trauma to the occiput can cause a basilar skull fracture....
region of the skull support a referral to the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Gavialidae, which also includes the extant gharial
Gharial
The gharial , , also called Indian gavial or gavial, is the only surviving member of the once well-represented family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodilians with long, slender snouts...
and false gharial
False gharial
The false gharial , also known as the Malayan gharial, false gavial, or Tomistoma is a freshwater crocodile of the Crocodylidae family with a very thin and elongated snout...
.
Paleobiology
The strata from which remains of Piscogavialis have been found suggest that it lived in a coastal environment. Another extinct gavialid, SiquisiquesuchusSiquisiquesuchus
Siquisiquesuchus is an extinct genus of gavialoid crocodilian...
, is also known to have lived in a coastal setting. The presence of other gryposuchines in coastal strata may be an indication that all members of the subfamily inhabited coastal environments. However, some gryposuchines have been found from localities that clearly represent non-marine environments.
External links
- Piscogavialis 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...