| Kuttysuchus Temporal range: Late Triassic, Norian–Rhaetian | |
|---|---|
| |
| Speculative restoration of K. minori | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauria |
| Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
| Clade: | †Aetosauria |
| Family: | †Stagonolepididae |
| Genus: | †Kuttysuchus Haldar et al., 2025 |
| Species: | †K. minori |
| Binomial name | |
| †Kuttysuchus minori Haldar et al., 2025 | |
Kuttysuchus is an extinct genus of aetosaur that lived in Late Triassic of Lower Dharmaram Formation of India. It was a fairly large sized aetosaur similar to the contemporary Venkatasuchus. The type species is K. minori.
Description[]
The Kuttysuchus is known for its unique paramedian osteoderms, which feature a weakly raised anterior bar, a pointed anteromedial edge, deep dorsal surface ornamentation with a prominent dorsal eminence, and a weakly developed ventral structure, which in turn makes it distinguishable from other aetosaurs.
Discovery and Naming[]
The Holotype osteoderms of Kuttysuchus were discovered by Tharavati S. Kutty in Pranhita–Godavari Basin of Telangana during his 1969 expedition in the region. In 2025, Halder and her college did research on the discovered osteoderms and described it as a new genus and species of aetosaur, Kuttysuchus minori, where the genus name "Kutty" is after T.S. Kutty who discovered the fossils, "suchus" being the greek word for crocodile and "minori" in reference to the size of the osteoderms as they are small in size.
Classification[]
Kuttysuchus is currently classified as a Stagonolepididae aetosaur, either being a basal one or a sister taxa of Kocurypelta.
Paleoecology[]
Since Kuttysuchus lived in Lower Dharmaram Formation of India. It existed with alot of archosaus, Sauropodomorphs like Jaklapallisaurus and an Indeterminate form, Theropods like an unnamed Neotheropod (Also known from upper Dharmaram Formation; Similar to Dilophosaurus and perhaps Dracovenator), fellow aetosaurs like Venkatasuchus, Paratypothorax and a possible Desmatosuchus-like forms, and a large Phytosaur like Nicrosaurus.