Partial Right Hemi-Dentary of "Gavialimimus almaghribensis" (Rare Mosasaur species) - Phosphate Beds - Fossil tooth (No reserve price)

Scientific name: †Gavialimimus almaghribensis, sp. nov, 2020 - (Old named as Platecarpus ptychodon, (Arambourg, 1952) - Mosasaur partial right hemi-dentary (jaw)

Location: Oued Zem, Morocco

Geological Formation: Ouled Abdoun Basin (Phosphate beds)

Age: Upper Cretaceous, Maastrichtian stage, (~66 Million Years)

Size: 10,5cm long

Ref: S304

Observations: Quite rare Mosasaur species, Gavialimimus almaghribensis (the old named as Platecarpus ptychodon by Arambourg) from the Late Cretaceous phosphate deposits in Ouled Abdoun Basin from central Morocco. This is a fragment of the right hemi-dentary (jaw) of this mosasaur species. It preserves four teeth. Regarding restorations and repairs: During excavation, the specimen suffered several fractures, including the teeth, which fell apart and had to be reattached to the jaw using the filling method. Even so, it is a magnificent, authentic example of the dentition of this rare and small mosasaur species.

In the international market is very common to find Mosasaurus teeth coming from the phosphate quarries of the Upper Cretaceous in the Ouled Abdoun Basin (Morocco). This quarries have been exploited since the beginning of the past century. Many sellers that sell this fossils do not make a good precise taxonomic identification work.

The main assemblage of vertebrate fossils of the Paleogene sector present there is composed by sharks, fish, turtles, marine snakes, rays, crocodiles, other types of reptiles and even birds. In the Cretaceous part we can add Mosasaurs, Pterosaurs and Plesiosaurs, including some rare Theropod Dinosaurs as a new Abelisaurid (Chenanisaurus barbaricus), as well as one Hadrosaurid (Ajnabia odysseus). Also present in the Cretaceous a huge diversity of sharks and fishes.

Diagnosis: As for the type and only species. Derivation of name: Meaning‘gharial mimic’, from the Gallicized Hindi root‘gavial’and the Greek root‘mimus’, the genus name refers to morphological con-vergence between the holotype specimen and the extantgharial (Gavialis gangeticus), primarily regarding their distinctive longirostry and interlocking teeth.

Small teeth with bicarinate higly laterally compressed crowns, subequal lingal and labial surfaces bearing verticals striations that are more numerous on the lingual face and developed only on the two thirds of the crown height.
12 or 13 teeth on a dentary, 14 on a maxillary.

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