Dagasuchus

Dagasuchus is an extinct genus of pseudosuchian archosaur from the Late Triassic (Carnian) of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, represented by the type species Dagasuchus santacruzensis. "D. santacruzensis" was named in 2015 on the basis of a partial hip (one illium and a pair of ischia) found in an exposure of the Santa Maria Formation in the Paraná Basin, near the city of Santa Cruz do Sul. "Dagausuchus" is an early member of a large evolutionary group called Loricata, which originated in the Triassic and includes modern crocodylians and their ancestors. Features of its hip closely resemble those of other early loricatans such as "Stagonosuchus" and "Saurosuchus". "Dagasuchus" is notable for being the first loricatan found in the "Santacruzodon" assemblage zone of the Santa Maria Formation; previously loricatans were only known from the older "Dinodontosaurus" assemblage zone and the younger "Hyperodapedon" assemblage zone within the Santa Maria Formation, meaning that "Dagasuchus" fills in a gap in the fossil record of the group.