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3 August 2023 A New Chigutisaurid (Brachyopoidea, Temnospondyli) with Soft Tissue Preservation from the Triassic Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia
Lachlan J. Hart, Bryan M. Gee, Patrick M. Smith, Matthew R. McCurry
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Abstract

Compared with other Mesozoic tetrapod groups, chigutisaurid fossils from Australia are rare, with only three named taxa described from the continent. From Queensland, Keratobrachyops australis is known from the Triassic, and Siderops kehli from the Jurassic. Koolasuchus cleelandi, from the Cretaceous of Victoria, represents the youngest-known temnospondyl globally. Here we describe the first chigutisaurid from New South Wales, from the Early–Middle Triassic Terrigal Formation. The specimen (AM F125866) comprises an articulated, near-complete skeleton, presented in ventral aspect, as well as outlines of soft tissue. The new taxon preserves features that indicate an affinity with Chigutisauridae, confirming previous hypotheses on the presence of large-bodied chigutisaurids in the Triassic of Australia. The new Terrigal chigutisaurid is only the second chigutisaurid known from the Lower Triassic and fourth from Australia overall. The distribution of brachycephalic temnospondyls throughout the Mesozoic suggests specific adaptations led to the long-term survival of chigutisaurids, especially across the end-Triassic extinction event.

Lachlan J. Hart, Bryan M. Gee, Patrick M. Smith, and Matthew R. McCurry "A New Chigutisaurid (Brachyopoidea, Temnospondyli) with Soft Tissue Preservation from the Triassic Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia," Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 42(6), (3 August 2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2023.2232829
Received: 8 August 2022; Accepted: 28 June 2023; Published: 3 August 2023
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