Intra- and interspecific variability in allodaposuchid crocodylomorphs and the status of western European taxa

Abstract

The genus Allodaposuchus is an endemic eusuchian from the Late Cretaceous of Europe. This genus was erected in 1928 by Baron Franz Nopcsa based on Allodaposuchus precedens from the Maastrichtian of Romania. Fragmentary skulls recovered from France and Spain were later referred to A. precedens, but three new species of Allodaposuchus have since been described: A. subjuniperus, A. palustris and A. hulki. A set of remains from Velaux, France, was recently interpreted as an ontogenetic series of A. precedens, prompting the argument that other species referred to Allodaposuchus are synonyms of A. precedens. Here, we review intra- and interspecific variability among allodaposuchids. Diagnostic characters for different allodaposuchids are outside the ranges of variation for modern species. Ontogenetic (intraspecific) variation observed in the allodaposuchid from Velaux is not in conflict with the presence of at least four taxa in the European Archipelago during the Late Cretaceous.

Keywords:

• Allodaposuchus
• ontogeny
• intraspecific variation
• interspecific variation
• Eusuchia
• Late Cretaceous

Acknowledgements

We thank László Makádi and Márton Rabi for allow us to studying and figuring the Romanian material. Special thanks are also given to Iván Narváez for morphological assess, to Sergio Llácer for image reconstruction and to Blanca Moncunill for image processing and statistical improvement, as well as Soledad de Esteban and courses of Transmitting Science. Finally we also acknowledge to Dr Gareth Dyke (Editor), Dr Eduardo Puértolas Pascual and Dr Stéphane Jouve (reviewers), whose comments improved the quality of this paper.