Indosuchus
Abelisaurid theropod dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous Period
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Indosuchus (lit. 'Indian crocodile') is a genus of abelisaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period (Maastrichtian, 70 to 66 million years ago) of what is now India. Like most theropods, Indosuchus was a bipedal carnivore. It was about 7 metres (23 ft) long, weighed about 1.2 tonnes (1.3 short tons),[2] and had a crested skull, flattened on the top.
| Indosuchus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
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| Right premaxilla questionably assigned to I. raptorius (specimen AMNH 1753)[1] | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Abelisauridae |
| Genus: | †Indosuchus Huene, 1932 |
| Species: | †I. raptorius |
| Binomial name | |
| †Indosuchus raptorius | |
Discovery and naming
Indosuchus was named by Friedrich von Huene in 1932[3] and was described by Huene and Charles Alfred Matley in 1933 from three partial skulls found by Matley in India near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh in strata of the Lameta Formation.[4] The lectotype is GSI K27/685, consisting of the parietals and frontals of a single individual.[5] Two paralectotypes were referred, both including material from the posterior skull, with the fossils referred based on the parietal morphology.[6][4] The known remains of the lectotype material have been lost.
The generic name is derived from Indos, Ancient Greek for the Indus and Soukhos, Ancient Greek for the Egyptian crocodile god. The specific name raptorius means "raptorial" in Latin.[4]
Classification
Because only some skull elements have been found, Indosuchus placement has been somewhat erratic. Although it is now somewhat firmly placed within the Abelisauridae, it was originally assigned by von Huene to the Allosauridae. Alick Walker thought in 1964 it was a member of the Tyrannosauridae. The discovery of other abelisaurids like Carnotaurus has helped clarify its position; in 1986 José Bonaparte concluded it was an abelisaurid.
Indosuchus is defined based on how the frontonasal suture is placed anteriorly compared to lacrimal, according to Novas et al., 2004.[1]
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