2026/07/03 by Bailey M. Weiss, Kathleen Dollman, Jennifer Botha +1 · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
paper · doi:10.1080/14772019.2026.2690993
openalex publication_date 2026/07/03 · openalex created_date 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Early Crocodyliformes first appeared in the Late Triassic as generally small-bodied, terrestrial cursorial faunivores. They had a global distribution during the early Jurassic with species found on all continents, except Antarctica. The Elliot Formation (Stormberg Group) of South Africa preserves many fossils of early crocodyliforms, some collected historically when standards for anatomical description and taxonomy were less uniformly applied. The first crocodyliforms described from South Africa included the problematic taxon ‘Erythrochampsa’ longipes (SAM-PK-11894; originally Notochampsa longipes). SAM-PK-11894 potentially provides important anatomical information on the postcranial anatomy of early crocodyliforms, but it is preserved in a slab and counterslab, and the delicate nature of the material precludes full preparation. The potentially informative nature of the fossil material, and its muddled 120-year taxonomic history, invite reconsideration of its anatomy and relationships. Here we redescribe the skeletal anatomy of SAM-PK-11894 using microcomputed tomography, present comparative virtual osteohistology of SAM-PK-11894 and Protosuchus haughtoni (SAM-PK-K8026) using propagation phase-contrast X-ray synchrotron micro-computed tomography, and use our observations to evaluate its taxonomic status. The features preserved in the ‘Erythrochampsa’ holotype are remarkably similar to those known for Protosuchus, although it is much smaller than published specimens in that genus, and we refer SAM-PK-11894 as cf. Protosuchus, upholding the nomen dubium status of ‘Erythrochampsa’ longipes. The body mass of SAM-PK-11894 is inferred to have been about 458 g, whereas the Protosuchus haughtoni specimen (SAM-PK-K8026) had a body mass inferred at 859 g, and yet both specimens display relatively slow-growing lamellar bone, confirming the hypotheses of growth rate reduction early in crocodyliform evolution. Our description of the near-complete postcrania of SAM-PK-11894 provides a more comprehensive understanding of crocodyliform postcranial anatomy and growth history, contributing valuable data to the otherwise sparse postcranial record.