An unusual archosauriform tooth increases known tetrapod diversity in the lower Chinle Formation (Late Triassic) of southeastern Utah
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Biodiversity, Paleontology
- Keywords
- archosaur, archosauriform, Chinle Formation, Triassic, tetrapod, dental taxon, Utah, Crosbysaurus, Revueltosaurus
- Copyright
- © 2015 Lopez et al.
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ PrePrints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2015. An unusual archosauriform tooth increases known tetrapod diversity in the lower Chinle Formation (Late Triassic) of southeastern Utah. PeerJ PrePrints 3:e1110v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.1110v1
Abstract
An unusual tetrapod tooth was discovered in the Late Triassic Chinle Formation of southeastern Utah. The tooth was originally thought to belong to Revueltosaurus but further investigations have rejected that hypothesis. In this paper we compare MNA V10668 to other known fossil teeth found in the Chinle Formation and identify the least inclusive clade it may belongs to. Using data found in other publications and pictures of other teeth, we compare this specimen to other Triassic dental taxa. MNA V10668 shares some similarities with Crosbysaurus, Tecovasaurus, and several other named taxa but possesses unique characteristics not found in other diapsid teeth. We conclude that it is most likely an archosauromorph and probably an archosauriform. This increases the known diversity of tetrapods from the Chinle Formation and represents the first tooth morphotype completely unique to Utah in the Late Triassic Period.
Author Comment
We will be submitting this article for peer review in the future. This work is the result of a collaborative project between students in the MHP Paleontology class under the guidance of the corresponding author.
Supplemental Information
Figure 1: The location of Comb Ridge in the state of Utah. Modified from Gay and St. Aude (2015)
The location of Comb Ridge (star) within the state of Utah. San Juan County is highlighted. Modified from Gay and St. Aude (2015).
Figure 2: Tetrapod tooth in situ at The Hills Have Teeth (MNA locality 1724), showing the lithology of the fossil-bearing layer
Small, unidentified tetrapod in the field in May 2015 showing the lithology of the fossil-bearing layer at The Hills Have Teeth. Site is dominated by gray-white mudstone with carbonaceous clasts.
