Doswellia
Doswellia is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptile from the Late Triassic of North America. It is the namesake of the family Doswelliidae, related to the proterochampsids which were more common in South America. Doswellia was a low and heavily built carnivore which lived during the Late Triassic. It possesses many unusual features, including a wide, flattened head with narrow jaws and a box-like rib cage covered by at least ten rows of bony plates.
The type species, Doswellia kaltenbachi, was named in 1980 from fossils found within the Vinita member of the Doswell Formation in Virginia. The formation, which is found in the Taylorsville Basin, is part of the larger Newark Supergroup. Doswellia is named after Doswell, the town from which much of the taxon's remains have been found.
A supposed second species, D. sixmilensis, was described in 2012 from the Bluewater Creek Formation of the Chinle Group in New Mexico; however, this species was subsequently recognized as a separate doswelliid genus, Rugarhynchos. Bonafide Doswellia kaltenbachi fossils are also known from the Chinle Formation in Arizona.
Discovery
Holotype skeleton
The most complete specimens of Doswellia were discovered in 1974 during the construction of a sewage treatment plant in Doswell, Virginia. A party from the Smithsonian, led by James Kaltenbach, unearthed a large block containing a partial skeleton, including numerous vertebrae, ribs, osteoderms, and other bones. This block, USNM 244214, has been designated the holotype of D. kaltenbachi.Two additional slabs were later unearthed at the same site and almost certainly pertained to the same individual. One of these slabs contained additional vertebrae and ribs while the other contained a partial skull and mandible. These additional slabs were collectively termed the paratype, USNM 214823. An isolated right jugal found at the site was also referred to the species.
Other fossils
In the 1950s and 1960s, several additional bones were unearthed near Ashland, a little south of Doswell. These specimens were initially believed to have belonged to phytosaurs, but were recognized as pertaining to Doswellia after the Doswell specimens were found. The Ashland specimens are cataloged as USNM 186989 and USNM 244215.Assorted osteoderms and vertebrae have been assigned to Doswellia from areas further west: the Colorado City Formation in Texas and the Monitor Butte Formation in Utah. Fossils referable to Doswellia cf. kaltenbachi are known from Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. They were found in the Blue Mesa Member of the Chinle Formation, making the Arizona remains among the youngest in the genus.
In 2012, a new species of archosauriform was described and referred to Doswellia, as the second species Doswellia sixmilensis. The holotype of this species was NMMNH P-61909, an incomplete skeleton including skull fragments, osteoderms, vertebrae, and possible limb fragments. It was found in strata of the Bluewater Creek Formation exposed at Sixmile Canyon in McKinley County, New Mexico. A 2020 redescription of "Doswellia" sixmilensis recognized that its supposed snout fragments actually represented an entire skull with unique traits different from Doswellia. Once these major anatomical differences were discovered, the species was given its own doswelliid genus, Rugarhynchos.
Description
Doswellia possesses many highly derived features in its skeleton. The skull is low and elongated with a narrow snout and wide temporal region behind the eye sockets. The temporal region is unusual in that it is euryapsid, which means that the lower of the two temporal holes on either side of the skull has closed. The jugal bone has expanded into the region the lower temporal opening would normally occupy. Paired squamosal bones extend beyond the skull's back margin to form small horn-like projections. The skull of Doswellia lacks several bones found in other archosauriforms, including the postfrontals, tabulars, and postparietals.The body of Doswellia is also distinctive. The neck is elongated and partially covered by a fused collection of bony scutes called a nuchal plate. The ribs in the front part of the torso project horizontally from the spine and then bend at nearly 90-degree angles to give the body of Doswellia a box-like shape. The blade-like ilium bone of the hip also projects horizontally. Rows of osteoderms stretched from the nuchal plate to the tail. At least ten rows covered the widest part of Doswellia
Paleobiology
Jaw functionality
The quadratojugal and surangular bones were both incorporated into the jaw joint, reinforcing the joint and preventing side-to-side or front-to back movement. As a result, the jaws of Doswellia would have been incapable of any notable form of movement other than vertical scissor-like snapping. In addition, the expanded back of the skull and very deep rear part of the lower jaw likely housed muscles that could let the jaw both open and close with a high amount of force. This contrasts with modern crocodilians, which have a powerful bite but a much weaker ability to open their jaws. Nevertheless, the high amount of sculpturing in the skull of Doswellia is similar to the skulls of modern crocodilians. It is likely an adaptation to minimize stresses in the skull during a powerful bite.Diet and life habits
The pointed teeth, long snout, and upward-pointing eyes of Doswellia are support for the idea that it was an aquatic carnivore. In addition, its relatively compact osteoderms are also evidence for an aquatic lifestyle. However, it may not necessarily have been strictly aquatic, as these features are also found in animals such as Parasuchus, a phytosaur which is known to have preyed on terrestrial reptiles such as Malerisaurus. Other possible food sources include crustaceans, bivalves, and large flying or hopping insects. It is also conceivable that it was capable of limited burrowing either for shelter or defense, partially burying itself to keep its armor exposed yet protect its soft underside. This technique is used by modern armadillos, echidnas and Cordylus lizards. The front limbs are unknown in Doswellia, so there is no direct evidence for burrowing adaptations.Mobility
The neck of Doswellia was long and flexible, although also heavily armored, so it was likely incapable of bending above the horizontal, instead probably being used more for downwards and lateral movement. The body was also probably incapable of moving up and down to much of an extent due to the extensive and overlapping armor plating which characterizes the genus. The chest would have been much more likely to have flexed laterally while the animal was walking.The first few tail vertebrae were similar to the body vertebrae, so the front of the tail would probably have been held level with the body. The rest of the tail would have been more capable of bending downward, but lacked many adaptations for lateral movement. This means that, if Doswellia was an aquatic predator, it probably would not have used its tail for swimming as in modern crocodilians.
Although limb material is not well known in Doswellia, material that is preserved suggests that both the front and rear legs were strongly built. Although the bizarre downward pointing hip could have given Doswellia an upright posture as in dinosaurs, various other primitive features suggest that it was more likely to have been sprawling or semi-sprawling most of the time.