New remains of notosuchian crocodyliforms from the Middle Eocene of Zamora (Spain). Taxonomic and phylogenetic status

Resumen

Notosuchian crocodyliforms have been known from the European Eocene since the 1960s.However, these findings generally corresponded to fragmentary remains collected in Portugal,Spain, France and Germany, so that their phylogenetic position was controversial. New remainsfrom the Corrales del Vino site (Zamora, Spain), collected from levels of the Corrales Formation(Lutetian, Middle Eocene), are presented here. They comprise mainly disarticulated skull parts andisolated postcranial elements. Most of them are well ossified, so this condition indicates maturity.In addition, much smaller elements are also identified, such as a complete mandibular ramus withteeth, probably from juveniles. These new remains help to clarify some anatomical informationthat was not present in the previously recorded specimens from Zamora sites, and also completethe available material assigned to the Portuguese notosuchian Iberosuchus from other localities ofthe same formation (e.g., the El Viso-Madridanos fossil-site, also in the Zamora Province). The newmaterial shows intraspecific variability, at least partially linked, most probably, with ontogeneticchanges of this notosuchian species from Zamora. Recently, some new notosuchians specieshave been described from Spain and France (e.g., Doratodon, Ogresuchus and Dentaneosuchus),showing the biogeographic extension of these taxa in Europe from the Cretaceous to the Eocene,and several phylogenetic relationships between them and their putative Gondwanan relatives havebeen proposed. This contribution presents some new anatomical details for the notosuchian fromthe Eocene of Zamora and discusses its taxonomic and phylogenetic status in the context of theEuropean, African and South American forms.