''Eotomistoma'' is a dubious genus of

crocodyliform Crocodyliformes is a clade of Crurotarsi, crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the ...

from the

Lower Cretaceous Lower may refer to: * ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker * Lower (surname) * Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) * Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England See also * Nizhny {{Disambiguation ...

of China.

History

''Eotomistoma'' was named by Chung-Chien Young in 1964 based on two pieces of the snout. Young assigned it to the

Tomistominae Tomistominae is a subfamily of crocodylians that includes one living species, the false gharial. Many more extinct species are known, extending the range of the subfamily back to the Eocene epoch. In contrast to the false gharial, which is a fres ...

. However, other researchers, such as Eric Buffetaut, were skeptical of Young's interpretation, and in 1981 Denise Sigogneau-Russell re-studied it and determined the specimen was a chimera of a crocodylian and a

choristodere Choristodera (from the Greek χωριστός ''chōristos'' + δέρη ''dérē'', 'separated neck') is an extinct order of semiaquatic diapsid reptiles that ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Triassic, to the Miocene (168 to 20 or p ...

. Sigogneau-Russell named the choristodere fossil ''

Ikechosaurus ''Ikechosaurus'' is an extinct genus of choristodere reptile which existed in China and Mongolia during the Early Cretaceous. It contains the species ''Ikechosaurus sunailinae'' and ''Ikechosaurus gaoi''. It belongs to the crocodilian-like clade ...

''. The remaining snout fragment, still the holotype of ''Eotomistoma'', is now considered to be an indeterminate crocodyliform.

Paleoecology

''Eotomistoma'' is known from the Lower Cretaceous Luohandong Formation. It was a contemporary of the choristodere ''

'' and the crocodyliforms ''

Theriosuchus ''Theriosuchus'' is an extinct genus of atoposaurid neosuchian from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of Europe (Hungary & southern England), Southeast Asia (Thailand) and western North America (Wyoming), with fragmentary records from Middle Jur ...

'' and ''

Shantungosuchus ''Shantungosuchus'' is an extinct genus of Early Cretaceous crocodyliform found in China. It includes three species: ''Shantungosuchus chuhsienensis'' and ''S. brachycephalus'', which were both described by Yang Zhongjian – usually referre ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q56281999 Cretaceous crocodylomorphs Nomina dubia