KAMBARA TARAINA SP NOV (CROCODYLIA, CROCODYLOIDEA), A NEW EOCENE MEKOSUCHINE FROM QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, AND A REVISION OF THE GENUS

Crocodilian cranial material from the Eocene Rundle Formation of eastern-central Queensland is herein attributed to Kambara taraina sp. nov. This is the fourth species of Kambara, the earliest genus Of the diverse Australasian subfamily, Mekosuchinae. Although members of this subfamily diversified and radiated throughout the middle and late Tertiary, the clade as a whole is still poorly understood and their early evolutionary history is somewhat enigmatic. The Rundle Formation has yielded an unprecedented amount of crocodilian material for this epoch, with exquisite preservation. The new species is unique in possessing an increased attachment area for the mandibular adductors on the retroarticular process, rostrally extended palatal fenestrae, a rostrocaudally aligned ridge within the pterygoid fossa. and a reduction in maxillary alveoli (14). This combination of characters may reflect a functional divergence of K. taraina from other species, indicating disparate feeding strategies. The inclusion of this fourth species makes Kambara an increasingly diverse genus and as such the generic and specific diagnoses are herein modified accordingly.