The antorbital fenestra of Metriorhynchidae (Crocodyliformes, Thalattosuchia): Testing its homology within a phylogenetic framework

LEARDI, J.M.; POL, D.; FERNÁNDEZ, M. S.

JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY

SOC VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY

Año: 2012 vol. 32 p. 490 - 492

0272-4634

Metriorhynchidae is a clade of extinct marine crocodyliforms of pelagic habitsthat is nested within the more inclusive group Thalattosuchia that also includes adiversity of fossil taxa found in shallow marine environments. Metriorhynchids are of particular interest given that they represent the only group of archosaurs completely adapted to marine environments.Among the unique traits present in metriorhynchids is an opening located anteriorly to the orbit  which has been up to now interpreted as homologous to the antorbital fenestra of other archosaurs. However,some authors to cast doubts about the identity of the metriorhynchid opening and fossa. The aim of the present contribution is to test the homology of the fenestra located anterior to the orbit in metriorhynchids within a cladistic framework.