Paratomistoma

Paratomistoma (meaning "next to or near Tomistoma") is an extinct genus of tomistomine gavialid crocodilian. It is based on CGM 42188, a partial posterior skull and lower jaw discovered at Wadi Hitan, Egypt, in Middle Eocene-age rocks of the Gehannam Formation. The skull is unfused but considered morphologically mature. Paratomistoma was named in 2000 by Christopher Brochu and Philip Gingerich; the type species is P. courti in honor of Nicholas Court, who found CGM 42188. They performed a phylogenetic analysis and found Paratomistoma to be a derived tomistomine. It may have been a marine or coastal crocodilian.