Brillanceausuchus Explained

Brillanceausuchus is an extinct genus of paralligatorid crocodyliforms.^[1] Fossils have been found in Early Cretaceous–age rocks of Cameroon.^[2] The genus is notable for the position of the secondary choana within its palate. Parts of the pterygoid bones make up the rostral margin of the choana and thus separate it from the palatines, a feature also seen in the more advanced neosuchian suborder Eusuchia.^[3] This characteristic was once thought to be characteristic of Eusuchia, but its presence in Brillanceausuchus suggests that the trait is homoplasic, thus making the evolution of the position of the choana within crocodilians more complex than previously thought.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Tennant . J. P. . Mannion . P. D. . Upchurch . P. . Evolutionary relationships and systematics of Atoposauridae (Crocodylomorpha: Neosuchia): implications for the rise of Eusuchia . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 2016 . 177 . 4 . 854–936 . 10.1111/zoj.12400.
2. Michard, J., F. de Broin, and M. B. et Joseph Hell (1990). Le plus ancien crocodilien néosuchien spécialisé à caractères "eusuchiens" du continent Africain (Crétacé inférieur, Cameroun). Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences Paris, 311:(II). 365–371.
3. 10.1098/rspb.2006.3613 . Salisbury . S. W. . Molnar . R. E. . Frey . E. . Willis . P. M. A. . 2006 . The origin of modern crocodyliforms: new evidence from the Cretaceous of Australia . Proceedings: Biological Sciences . 273 . 1600. 2439–2448 . 16959633 . 1634899.
4. Buscalioni . A. D. . Ortega . F. . Weishampel . D. B. . Jianu . C. M. . 2001 . A revision of the Crocodyliform Allodaposuchus precedens from the upper Cretaceous of the Hateg Basin, Romania. Its relevance in the phylogeny of Eusuchia . . 21 . 1. 74–86 . 10.1671/0272-4634(2001)021[0074:AROTCA]2.0.CO;2 .