The Chinle Formation is an Upper Triassic continental geologic formation in the western United States which has yielded fossils of many archosaurs: a group of vertebrates that includes crocodiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and other extinct relatives. This is a list of all archosaurs from the formation, including suchians (crocodilian relatives) and avemetatarsalians (dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and their relatives), as well as the abundant crocodilian-like phytosaurs, which may either be true archosaurs or very close relatives of Archosauria.
A large late-surviving mystriosuchin phytosaur closely related to Machaeroprosopus (formerly known as Pseudopalatus),[10] and often considered a subgenus of that taxon.[2][6][7]
A large desmatosuchin which was fairly common in the lower part of the Chinle Formation. Prior to 2008, fossils of D. spurensis were listed as the species D. haplocerus, until it was determined that D. haplocerus was a species name originally based on undiagnostic fossils.[11]
A significant number of researchers feel that the North American material referred to the German Paratypothorax species P. andressorum by Hunt and Lucas in 1992 is actually distinct.[17]
Osteoderms and possible ankle and vertebrae remains.
A late-surviving paratypothoracintypothoracine. Originally referred to Desmatosuchus, but later reinterpreted as a relative of Paratypothorax based on a phylogenetic analysis performed on the remains by Parker in 2003.[20] New genus names were erected independently by Parker (coining the name Heliocanthus) and Lucas et al. (coining the name Rioarribasuchus), prompting an investigation into reports of unethical taxonomic claim-jumping.
A large basaldesmatosuchine based on fossils originally referred to "Stagonolepis" (=Calyptosuchus) wellesi, a close relative. Fossils of Scutarx represent the highest stratigraphic occurrence of Stagonolepis-like aetosaurs in Petrified Forest National Park.
Common in the Owl Rock and Petrified Forest Members.[21]
A large, wide-bodied typothoracine abundant throughout the Chinle Formation. Almost all of the known Chinlean Typothorax fossils are isolated whole or fragmentary osteoderms.[21]
Following a rediagnosis of the genus and species, only shuvosaurid fossils from the Cooper Canyon Formation are reliably identifiable as Shuvosaurus itself.[29]
A controversial suchian based primarily on osteoderms. Some paleontologists have considered Acaenasuchus to be juvenile Desmatosuchus haplocerus scutes, while others considered it a separate genus of small aetosaurs.[31] Most recently it has been reconsidered an aetosauriform related to, but not within, Aetosauria. It is also related to Revueltosaurus (also from the Chinle) and the armored reptile Euscolosuchus from Virginia.[32]
A silesaurid dinosauriform with adaptations for herbivory.
Dinosaurs
Sauropodomorphs
Prosauropod tracks are present in the Redonda, Sloan Canyon, and Sheep Pen Sandstone formations. Possibly the Rock Point Formation as well. Geographically, the tracks are present in New Mexico.[36]
Theropods and near-relatives
Theropod tracks have been found in Utah and New Mexico recovered from the Redonda, Sloan Canyon, and Sheep Pen Sandstone formations.[36] Indeterminate theropod remains are stratigraphically present in the Petrified Forest, Bluewater Creek, and Rock Point members of New Mexico.[36]
Theropods and near-relatives of the Chinle Formation
^ abcdefghijk"Vertebrate Fauna; Parasuchia; Leptosuchus adamanensis,L. crosbiensis, and L. gregorii," Irmis (2005) p. 72, 74
^ abcdefgLong, R.A. and Murray, P.A. 1995. Late Triassic (Carnian and Norian) Tetrapods from the Southwestern United States. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 4. pp. 254.
^ abStocker, M. R. (2012). "A new phytosaur (Archosauriformes, Phytosauria) from the Lot's Wife beds (Sonsela Member) within the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic) of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (3): 573–586. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.649815. S2CID129527672.
^ abHunt, A.P. and Lucas, S.G. 1993. A new phytosaur (Reptilia: Archosauria) genus from the uppermost Triassic of the western United States and its biochronological significance. In; The Nonmarine Triassic, Lucas and Morales, eds., New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 3.
^Hungerbühler A. 2002. The Late Triassic phytosaur Mystriosuchus westphali, with a revision of the genus. Palaeontology 45 (2): 377-418
^ abcdEmily J. Lessner; Michelle R. Stocker; Nathan D. Smith; Alan H. Turner; Randall B. Irmis; Sterling J. Nesbitt (2016). "A new rauisuchid (Archosauria, Pseudosuchia) from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of New Mexico increases the diversity and temporal range of the clade". PeerJ. 4: e2336. doi:10.7717/peerj.2336.
^ abcdefgh"Vertebrate Fauna; Stagonolepididae; Acaenasuchus geoffreyi," Irmis (2005) pp. 75-77
'^"Vertebrate Fauna; Pseudosuchia; 'Revueltosaurus callenderi' and Revueltosaurus hunti,'" Irmis (2005) pp. 71-72
^ abc"Vertebrate Fauna; Pseudosuchia; Revueltosaurus callenderi," Irmis (2005) pp. 71-72
^ abc"Vertebrate Fauna; Pseudosuchia; Revueltosaurus hunti," Irmis (2005) p. 72
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrsWeishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Triassic, North America)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 518–521. ISBN0-520-24209-2.
^ abZeigler, K. E.; Kelley, S.; Geissman, J. W. (2008). "Revisions to stratigraphic nomenclature of the Upper Triassic Chinle Group in New Mexico: New insights from geologic mapping, sedimentology, and magnetostratigraphic/paleomagnetic data". Rocky Mountain Geology. 43 (2): 121–141. doi:10.2113/gsrocky.43.2.121.
^ abcd"Vertebrate Fauna; Pseudosuchia; Revueltosaurus callenderi," Irmis (2005) p. 81
References
Ezcurra, M.D. (2006). "A review of the systematic position of the dinosauriform archosaur Eucoelophysis baldwini Sullivan & Lucas, 1999 from the Upper Triassic of New Mexico, USA." Geodiversitas, 28(4):649-684.
Irmis, R. B. 2005. The vertebrate fauna of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation in northern Arizona. p. 63-88. in S.J. Nesbitt, W.G. Parker, and R.B. Irmis (eds.) 2005. Guidebook to the Triassic formations of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona: Geology, Paleontology, and History. Mesa Southwest Museum Bulletin 9.
Nesbitt, S.J., Irmis, R.B., and Parker, W.G. (2005). "A critical review of the Triassic North American dinosaur record." In Kellner, A.W.A., Henriques, D.D.R., & Rodrigues, T. (eds.), II Congresso Latino-Americano de Paleontologia de Vertebrados, Boletim de Resumos. Rio de Janeiro: Museum Nacional/UFRJ, 139.
Sues, H.-D., Nesbitt, S. J., Berman, D. S., and A. C., Henrici. 2011. A late-surviving basal theropod dinosaur from the latest Triassic of North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.0410
Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. ISBN0-520-24209-2.