Sichuanosuchus shuhanensis, a new ?Early Cretaceous protosuchian (Archosauria: Crocodyliformes) from Sichuan (China), and the monophyly of Protosuchia

A new protosuchian, Sichuanosuchus shuhanensis, sp. nov. from the ?Lower Cretaceous of Sichuan (China), is distinguished from other known basal crocodyliform archosaurs primarily by the subdivision of the small antorbital fenestra into anterior and posterior openings, the presence of a large, caniniform first maxillary tooth, followed by seven teeth with low, chisel-like crowns, and the posterior palpebrai being larger than the anterior one. Phylogenetic analysis using 128 characters for 29 crocodyliform taxa supports the monophyly of Protosuchia. Sichuanosuchus is most closely related to Shantungosuchus from the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of China. These two taxa, together with Gobiosuchus from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia, appear to form a clade of late Mesozoic basal crocodyliform reptiles.