Kemkemia

Kemkemia Temporal range: Cenomanian
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Crocodylomorpha
Clade:	Solidocrania
Clade:	Crocodyliformes
Genus:	†Kemkemia Cau & Maganuco, 2009
Species:	†K. auditorei
Binomial name
†Kemkemia auditorei Cau & Maganuco, 2009

Kemkemia is a genus of probable crocodyliforms living in the Cretaceous, described from a single fossil that was recovered in 1999 from Morocco by an Italian team searching for fossil invertebrates. The fossil of Kemkemia dates from the Cenomanian age.

History

The type species, Kemkemia auditorei, was named and described in 2009 by Italian paleontologists Andrea Cau and Simone Maganuco and is based on a single distal caudal vertebra, MSNM V6408. This vertebra measures 60.48 mm in length and 33.81 mm in height.^[1] The genus name refers to the Kem Kem Beds and the specific name honours Italian paleontological illustrator Marco Auditore.

Description

The describers, because of the general morphology of the vertebra, especially the strongly developed neural spine, originally considered it likely that K. auditorei was a theropod dinosaur belonging to the group Neoceratosauria. In view of the limited remains, they cautiously assigned it to a more general Neotheropoda incertae sedis. However, the authors later discovered it to be a typical crocodyliform, rather than an unusual theropod.^[2] Meanwhile, spinosaurids and crocodyliforms share a number of morphological convergences, and the Kemkemia holotype shows a combination of features between "Sigilmassasaurus" and crocodyliforms. Therefore, it is not determinable whether K. auditorei is a crocodyliform or a spinosaurid.^[3]

Kemkemia was a predator with a body length of about 4–5 m (13–16 ft) and, given that the vertebra is not very robust, possibly lightly built. The species length could be extrapolated because the specimen is that of an adult.

Paleoecology

The fossil is one of the few probable known crocodyliform caudal vertebrae. It comes from the Kem Kem Beds that have produced the fossils of very large predatory dinosaur genera: Spinosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus and Deltadromeus.

References

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Pseudosuchia

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Clade: Archosauria
Sauropsida see Sauropsida Archosauromorpha see Archosauromorpha Pseudosuchia see below↓

Pseudosuchia
Pseudosuchia †Dasygnathoides †Nundasuchus †Phytosauria? †Ornithosuchidae Aenigmaspina? Dynamosuchus Ornithosuchus Riojasuchus Venaticosuchus Suchia †Heteropelta? †Koilamasuchus? †Mandasuchus †Nundasuchus? †Ticinosuchus †Erpetosuchidae Archeopelta? Dyoplax? Erpetosuchus Pagosvenator Parringtonia Tarjadia †Aetosauriformes Acaenasuchus Euscolosuchus Revueltosaurus Aetosauria see Aetosauria †Gracilisuchidae Gracilisuchus Maehary? Turfanosuchus Yonghesuchus Paracrocodylomorpha see below↓

Paracrocodylomorpha
Paracrocodylomorpha †Mambawakale †Poposauroidea Lotosaurus Schultzsuchus? Qianosuchus Ctenosauriscidae Arizonasaurus Bromsgroveia Bystrowisuchus Ctenosauriscus Hypselorhachis Tsylmosuchus? Xilousuchus Poposauridae Dolichobrachium Poposaurus Shuvosauridae Effigia Shuvosaurus Sillosuchus Loricata †Apatosuchus †Arganasuchus †Batrachotomus †Dagasuchus †Decuriasuchus †Etjosuchus †Fasolasuchus †Heptasuchus †Heteropelta? †Incertovenator? †Luperosuchus †Mandasuchus? †Prestosuchus †Procerosuchus †Saurosuchus †Stagonosuchus †Youngosuchus †Rauisuchidae Arganasuchus? Energosuchus? Jushatyria? Polonosuchus Postosuchus Procerosuchus? Rauisuchus Scolotosuchus Scythosuchus? Teratosaurus Tikisuchus? Vivaron Vjushkovisaurus? Vytshegdosuchus? Crocodylomorpha see below↓

Crocodylomorpha
Crocodylomorpha †Carnufex †Dibothrosuchus †Dromicosuchus †Hesperosuchus †Heteropelta? †Junggarsuchus †Kayentasuchus †Parrishia †Phyllodontosuchus †Pseudhesperosuchus †Redondavenator †Sphenosuchus †Syntomiprosopus? †Trialestes †Saltoposuchidae Litargosuchus Saltoposuchus Terrestrisuchus †Hallopodidae Almadasuchus Hallopus Macelognathus †Thalattosuchia see Thalattosuchia Crocodyliformes †Entradasuchus †Eopneumatosuchus †Kemkemia †Microchampsa †Platyognathus †Stegomosuchus †Tagarosuchus †Protosuchidae Coloradisuchus Dianosuchus Edentosuchus Erythrochampsa Hemiprotosuchus Hoplosuchus Orthosuchus? Pedeticosaurus? Protosuchus †Notochampsidae Notochampsa Orthosuchus? †Gobiosuchidae Cassissuchus Gobiosuchus Lisboasaurus? Zaraasuchus Mesoeucrocodylia †Dianchungosaurus †Hsisosuchus †Induszalim †Lusitanisuchus †Neuquensuchus †Pachycheilosuchus? †Titanochampsa †Thalattosuchia? †Shartegosuchoidea Hadongsuchus Shantungosuchus Sichuanosuchus Zosuchus Shartegosuchidae Adzhosuchus Fruitachampsa Kyasuchus Nominosuchus Shartegosuchus Metasuchia †Ziphosuchia see Ziphosuchia includes notosuchians Neosuchia see Neosuchia includes crocodilians

• See also: Rauisuchia
• Prestosuchidae
• Bathyotica
• Sphenosuchia
• Protosuchia
• Mesosuchia
• Category

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