Suchodus, LYDEKKER, 1890

Young, Mark T., Brusatte, Stephen L., Ruta, Marcello & Andrade, Marco Brandalise De, 2010, The evolution of Metriorhynchoidea (mesoeucrocodylia, thalattosuchia): an integrated approach using geometric morphometrics, analysis of disparity, and biomechanics, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 158 (4), pp. 801-859 : 854

SUCHODUS LYDEKKER, 1890 A

Type species: Suchodus durobrivensis Lydekker, 1890 a.

Valid species: Suchodus brachyrhynchus (Eudes- Deslongchamps, 1868a) comb. nov.; S. durobrivensis Lydekker, 1890 a.

Etymology: ‘Crocodile tooth’. Suchos is the Ancient Greek for ‘Sobek’ (the Ancient Egyptian crocodile god), whereas - dus is the Ancient Greek for ‘tooth’.

Geological range: Lower Callovian–lower Oxfordian.

Geographical range: European endemic ( England and France).

Emended diagnosis: Metriorhynchid thalattosuchian with less than 18 teeth per maxilla, and less than 18 teeth per dentary; variable ornamentation on the cranial bones, but lacking conspicuous ornamentation on the rostrum; the antorbital fossa is elongate, narrow, and oriented obliquely, and is enclosed by the lacrimal, maxilla, and jugal; the antorbital pseudofenestra is enclosed by the lacrimal, nasal, and maxilla; the internal nares opens out posteriorly into the buccal cavity, with the palatines creating an M-shape orientated anteriorly; the prefrontals are wider than the posteriorly orientated ‘V’ of the squamosal, created by the posterior margin of the supratemporal fossa; the prefrontals are greatly expanded over the orbits, with the lateral margins forming a 90° angle, giving it a distinct triangular shape; the postorbital process forming the supratemporal arch creates a 90° angle facing anterolaterally; the squamosal overlaps the parocciptial process extensively, projecting further caudally than the parocciptal process itself; the maxilla–palatine suture forms a broad U-shape, orientated anteriorly; the coronoid does not project rostrally as far as the tooth row; the mandibular symphysis depth is ~7–8% of the total mandible length; the squamosal contributes less than 50% to the supratemporal arch; the length of the cervical centrum is longer than its height; the atlas hypocentrum is longer in length than the odontoid process; the humerus is subequal in length to the scapula.