Terrestrisuchus gracilis Crush, 1984

Nesbitt, Sterling J., 2011, The Early Evolution Of Archosaurs: Relationships And The Origin Of Major Clades, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (352), pp. 1-292 : 41-42

Terrestrisuchus gracilis Crush, 1984

AGE:?Rhaetian, Late Triassic ( Robinson 1957a, 1957b, Whiteside and Marshall, 2008).

OCCURRENCE: Fissure fills in the Carboniferous limestone of the Pant-y-ffynon Quarry, Cowbridge, Glamorgan, Wales.

HOLOTYPE: BMNH R7557 (formerly P 47/ 21 and counter part P 47/22).

REFERRED MATERIAL: See Crush, 1984.

REMARKS: Terrestrisuchus was named for and based on material collected from fissure fills in a Carboniferous limestone in Wales. The abundant taxon is known from dozens of specimens, from articulated and disarticulated crania, and postcrania. A few of the three-dimensionally preserved bones were prepared out of the matrix and formed the basis of the description by Crush (1984). Although much of the skull was described by Crush (1984), portions of the skull, including much of the braincase, nasals, and premaxilla, remain unknown. Originally, the holotype and referred material were housed at University College, London, but they were transferred to and reside at the Natural History Museum (BMNH).

Soon after Terrestrisuchus was named, Benton and Clark (1988) proposed that the taxon may be synonymous with Saltoposuchus from the Stubensandstein (Norian) of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Benton and Clark (1988) rightfully criticized the single maxillary character cited by Crush (1984) to separate the two taxa. Sereno and Wild (1992) defended the position that the two taxa should be separated, but as demonstrated by Clark et al. (2000), many of the differences named are noncomparable between the two taxa. Clark et al. (2000) cited a few differences but were unsure in the end whether the taxa were different. Most recently, Allen (2003) suggested that Terrestrisuchus was a juvenile of Saltoposuchus . Given the uncertainties of the taxonomy of the two taxa, I score only material of Terrestrisuchus described by Crush (1984).

KEY REFERENCES: Crush, 1984; Sereno and Wild, 1992; Clark et al., 2000; Allen, 2003.