First evidence of the Jurassic thalattosuchian (both teleosaurid and metriorhynchid) crocodylomorphs from Slovakia (Western Carpathians)

Abstract

We report here finds of thalattosuchians from Western Carpathians. The material consists of two isolated teeth from two different localities of the Pieniny Klippen Belt. The material represents the first evidence of the occurrence of both clades Teleosauridae and Metriorhynchidae in Slovakia. The first, a small tooth comes from the locality Beňatina and is dated early Middle Jurassic (Aalenian). Identification of the specimen shows it belongs to a longirostrine teleosaurid, possibly to Steneosaurus. Teleosaurids were largely restricted to lagoonal/near-shore environments. Their limbs allow them to support and walk on land. Regarding that fact, the presence of this taxon in Beňatina might be an indication of terrestrial land in the nearby area and shows a location of epicontinental seaways. A second larger tooth was found in the Upper Jurassic (Tithonian) sediments of the locality Kyjov, and is tentatively allocated in the genus Plesiosuchus. The members of Plesiosuchina are known in England, France, Portugal and Sicily. Our findings indicate a much wider spatial distribution of this clade in Europe and it fits well with the previous interpretation of sediments of the locality Kyjov as deep-water pelagic deposits.

Keywords:

• Neosuchia
• Plesiosuchina
• Pieniny Klippen Belt
• Mesozoic

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Juan D. Daza and Kelsey Jenkins (Sam Houston State University) for English text corrections. For CT scanning of the fossil and recent material,we thank Miroslav Hain (Slovak Academy of Sciences). We are indebted to two anonymous reviewers, for their critical reading of the manuscript.