Francosuchus broilii, O. Kuhn, 1933

Butler, Richard J., Rauhut, Oliver W. M., Stocker, Michelle R. & Bronowicz, Robert, 2014, Redescription of the phytosaurs Paleorhinus (‘ Francosuchus’) angustifrons and Ebrachosuchus neukami from Germany, with implications for Late Triassic biochronology, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 170 (1), pp. 155-208 : 160-161

‘ FRANCOSUCHUS BROILII ’ KUHN, 1933

[NOMEN DUBIUM]

‘ Francosuchus broilii nov. spec. ’; Kuhn, 1933: 97, 127, fig. 6. pl. 5, figs 1, 2

‘ Francosuchus broilii ’; Kuhn, 1936: 65

‘ Francosuchus broilii Kuhn’; Kuhn, 1938: 318

‘ P. broilii ( Kuhn, 1933) ’; Gregory, 1962: 670

‘ P. (F.) broilii O. Kuhn, 1933 ’; Westphal, 1976: 109

‘ Francosuchus broilii Kuhn, 1932 ’; Chatterjee, 1978: 115 ‘ Paleorhinus broilii Kuhn, 1932 ’; Hunt & Lucas, 1991: 489

‘ Paleorhinus sp. ’; Long & Murry, 1995: 36

Holotype: BSPG lost specimen, skull lacking the lower jaws and damaged at its right posterolateral corner, presumed destroyed in World War II ( Kuhn, 1933: fig. 6. pl. 5, figs 1, 2; Fig. 2A, B, D ).

Locality and horizon: Discovered in 1931 in bed 13 of Kuhn (1933, 1936), Ebrach quarry, Bamberg district, Upper Franconia (Oberfranken) region of northern Bavaria, south-eastern Germany. Blasensandstein of the Sandsteinkeuper, laterally equivalent to the lower Kieselsandstein (lower Hassberge Formation) of the Middle Keuper (Late Triassic: late Carnian, Tuvalian).

Comments: The loss of the holotype and the absence of known casts mean that assessing the status of ‘ Francosuchus broilii ’ is difficult. The only available images are two photographs in dorsal and ventral views and one single schematic outline drawing in left lateral view ( Kuhn, 1933: fig. 6. pl. 5, figs 1, 2; Fig. 2A, B, D ), and a description of the specimen was given by Kuhn (1933: 123–127). These images and Kuhn’s description indicate a skull missing its right posterolateral part, the margin of the left external naris, and much of the palate. Although Kuhn (1933: 123) suggested that the rostrum was complete, Kuhn (1936: 65) noted that the rostrum was collected in two parts that did not fit together directly, and that the skull proportions of this species were therefore uncertain (see also Gregory, 1962; Long & Murry, 1995). Kuhn (1933) also indicated that most sutures could not be observed. Kuhn (1933) did not provide an explicit diagnosis of the species, but his diagnosis of the genus Francosuchus ( Kuhn, 1933: 131) does not include any clearly autapomorphic features, and in proportions and general shape the skull appears to have been similar to the holotype of ‘ F.’ angustifrons (see below), as well as to other non-phytosaurid phytosaurs such as Parasuchus and Paleorhinus ( Chatterjee, 1978; Stocker, 2010). The skull was clearly different in morphology from the holotype specimen of Ebrachosuchus neukami , particularly with regard to the lack of an anteroposteriorly extended infratemporal fenestra (see below). We are unable to distinguish ‘ Francosuchus broilii ’ with confidence from most other non-phytosaurid phytosaurs, particularly Paleorhinus bransoni ( Long & Murry, 1995; Stocker, 2010) and Parasuchus hislopi ( Chatterjee, 1978) . For these reasons, we consider ‘ Francosuchus broilii ’ and the genus ‘ Francosuchus ’ to be nomina dubia referable to Phytosauria .

Figures

Figure 2. Historical photographs and drawings of lost phytosaur specimens from Ebrach. A, B, D, photographs (A, B) and drawing (D) of the holotype of Francosuchus broilii (from Kuhn, 1933). C, photograph of the holotype of Francosuchus latus (from Kuhn, 1933). Both specimens were destroyed during World War II. No scale bars were provided with the original illustrations, so scale bars are based upon the table of measurements provided by Kuhn (1933).