Description of a new goniopholidid skull from the Lower Cretaceous of East Sussex, UK

A new goniopholidid crocodyliform specimen from the Wealden Supergroup of East Sussex, UK, is described in this study. A detailed anatomical analysis of the skull is provided, and comparisons are made with closely related crocodylomorphs species, providing new material and information on the Family Goniopholididae. A phylogenetic analysis is carried out to understand the specimen’s position within the clade Goniopholididae and its relation to the other European genera. The introduction of the new specimen into an already published matrix led to significant changes in the phylogenetic position of the recently described species Ophiussasuchus paimogonectes, which does not appear stable in this analysis. Based on the present study, the new specimen could represent a new goniopholidid species, due to its unique combination of characters which is not shared with any other described taxon. The specimen appears morphologically similar to the genus Goniopholis, mainly due to the presence of the transfrontal and prefrontal-lacrimal crests, but other features are shared with Anteophthalmosuchus and Hulkepholis, making its phylogenetic position and history to be further investigated.