Benggwigwishingasuchus
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| Benggwigwishingasuchus Temporal range: Middle Triassic | |
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| Holotype of Benggwigwishingasuchus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauria |
| Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
| Clade: | †Poposauroidea |
| Genus: | †Benggwigwishingasuchus Smith et al., 2024 |
| Species: | †B. eremicarminis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Benggwigwishingasuchus eremicarminis Smith et al., 2024 | |
Benggwigwishingasuchus is a genus of poposauroid pseudosuchian from the Anisian Favret Formation of Nevada. While the animal was found in marine deposits and possibly lived a coastal lifestyle, Benggwigwishingasuchus shows no clear adaptations towards marine life. The genus contains a single species: B. eremicarminis.[1]
History and naming[edit]
The fossil remains of Benggwigwishingasuchus were discovered by Elaine Kramer and Monica Shaffer in the outcrops of the Fossil Hill Member of the Favret Formation, located in Pershing County, Nevada. Holotype specimen LACM-DI 158616 consists of a partially articulated skeleton consisting of parts of the skull as well as most of the spinal collumn, girdles and limbs.[1]
The genus name of Benggwigwishingasuchus combines the Shoshone term "Benggwi Gwishinga", meaning "to catch fish", with the Greek "suchus", a commonly used suffix among fossil pseudosuchians derived from the Egyptian deity Sobek. The species name meanwhile means "desert song", derived from the Latin "erema" and "carminis", and was chosen to honor the discoverers of the fossil, who are noted for their love of opera.[1]
Description[edit]
Benggwigwishingasuchus was a medium-sized paracrocodylomorph, reaching a total body length of approximately 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in).[1]
Phylogeny[edit]
The phylogenetic analysis published in the type description of Benggwigwishingasuchus recovered it as a member of the Poposauroidea, a group of highly diverse paracrocodylomorphs that form the sister clade to Loricata. Smith and colleagues recovered poposauroids in a polytomy with loricatans as well as the genera Stagonosuchus and Mambawakale, though both of them have been recovered as poposauroids themselves in other phylogenies. Within the clade Benggwigwishingasuchus is recovered as one of the most basal taxa, more derived than Mandasuchus but more basal than Qianosuchus.[1]
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Paleobiology[edit]
Benggwigwishingasuchus is known from the Anisian Favret Formation, which is thought to have been deposited around 10 km (6.2 mi) off the Panthalassic coast of Pangea. The formation is chiefly known for preserving the material of enormous ichthyosaurs, yet lacks shallow-water inhabitants of coastal animals with the exception of Benggwigwishingasuchus. Based on this, Smith and colleagues hypothesize that it was a coastal animal. In this case Benggwigwishingasuchus may be a panthalassic equivalent to some pseudosuchians found along the Tethys coast, namely Qianosuchus from the Guanling Formation and Ticinosuchus from Switzerland.[1]
Despite the circumstances of its fossilisation, there is little evidence to suggest that Benggwigwishingasuchus was a marine animal. The bone density of the femoral midshaft suggests that it was not a diver and the overall ratio between the length of the femur and the humerus suggests a terrestrial lifestyle. However, the posture of the fossil with a pronounced arched back, similar to what is seen in Qianosuchus, would suggest that it was not transported over any long distances following the death of the individual, favouring the idea that it died near the coast. Following the work of Motani and Vermeij, Smith and colleagues suggest that Benggwigwishingasuchus was only in the early stages of adapting to marine life, specifically by foraging directly in the sea while not consuming fresh water directly.[1]
Such a lifestyle may have been more widespread across Triassic paracrocodylomorphs, as Benggwigwishingasuchus, Qianosuchus and Ticinosuchus do not form a distinct clade and thus likely acquired their adaptations independently from one another. This lifestyle may also be shared by some even more distantly related archosaurs such as Diandongosuchus, Litorosuchus and Heteropelta. Smith et al. reason that archosaurs may have been more predisposed to exploiting such niches, but also argue that these instances highlight the conclusion reached by Motani and Vermeij, which was that tho many animals show beginning and transitional signs to marine adaptations, few fully transition to marine life.[1]
References[edit]
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