Biology:Arambourgia

Arambourgia is an extinct monotypic genus of alligatorine crocodylian from Europe. It was named in 1905 as Alligator gaudryi. It was made a separate genus Arambourgia in 1940. This was synonymized with Allognathosuchus haupti in 1990 (now known as Hassiacosuchus haupti), but later reassigned as its own genus once again in 2004. Arambourgia was likely to have been part of an early dispersal event of alligatorines from North America to Europe during the Eocene epoch. Arambourgia had non-serrated teeth and a deep orienirostral snout, unlike the flatter snouts of most other alligatorids.

Recent studies have consistently resolved Arambourgia as a member of Alligatorinae, although its relative placement is disputed, as shown by the cladograms below.

Cladogram from 2018 Bona et al. study:

Alligatorinae

Ceratosuchus burdoshi†     Allognathosuchus polyodon†     Allognathosuchus wartheni†     Navajosuchus mooki†     Arambourgia gaudryi†       Procaimanoidea kayi†     Procaimanoidea utahensis†         Wannaganosuchus brachymanus†       Alligator prenasalis†       Alligator mcgrewi†       Alligator olseni†       Alligator sinensis Chinese alligator       Culebrasuchus mesoamericanus†       Alligator mississippiensis American alligator     Alligator mefferdi†     Alligator thomsoni†

Cladogram from 2019 Massonne et al. study:

Alligatorinae

Alligator prenasalis†     Alligator mcgrewi†           Alligator olseni†       Alligator sinensis Chinese alligator       Alligator thomsoni†     Alligator mefferdi†     Alligator mississippiensis American alligator               Procaimanoidea utahensis†     Procaimanoidea kayi†         Arambourgia gaudryi†       Hassiacosuchus haupti†       Wannaganosuchus brachymanus†       Allognathosuchus wartheni†     Allognathosuchus polyodon†

Cladogram from 2020 Cossette & Brochu study:

Alligatorinae

Ceratosuchus burdoshi†     Hassiacosuchus haupti†     Navajosuchus mooki†       Allognathosuchus polyodon†       Alligator mcgrewi†     Alligator prenasalis†         Wannaganosuchus brachymanus†         Arambourgia gaudryi†       Procaimanoidea kayi†     Procaimanoidea utahensis†           Alligator olseni†       Alligator sinensis Chinese alligator       Alligator mississippiensis American alligator     Alligator mefferdi†     Alligator thomsoni†

Palaeoecology

Based on its unusual anatomy and it having been found in karstic settings, A. gaudryi occupied an ecological niche analogous to present-day juvenile and dwarf crocodylians.

References

Template:Extinct Crocodilia Wikidata ☰ Q3621257 entry