A new crocodylomorph archosaur from the Upper Triassic of North Carolina

A new taxon of sphenosuchian crocodylomorph, Dromicosuchus grallator, is described on the basis of a well-preserved, largely articulated partial skeleton from Late Triassic strata in the Durham sub-basin of the Deep River basin (Newark Supergroup) of Durham County, North Carolina. The holotype was preserved directly beneath the skeleton of a rauisuchian archosaur; this association, along with apparent bite marks to the head and neck of the crocodylomorph, suggests that the two animals died and were buried together during the act of predation. Dromicosuchus grallator is most closely related to Hesperosuchus agilis from the Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation (late Carman or early Norian) of Arizona and New Mexico and Saltoposuchus connectens from the Middle Stubensandstein (Lowenstein Formation; middle Norian) of Wurttemberg, Germany. The monophyly of Sphenosuchia is only weakly supported at present.