First Name:
Jonathan
Last Name:
Mitchell
Major Department:
Geology
Thesis Director:
Andrew Heckert
Date of Thesis:
May 2010
The Moncure microvertebrate locality is an Upper Triassic (~225mya) site from the Cumnock Formation of North Carolina that has yielded tens of thousands of fossils. Remains recovered include several indeterminate osteichthyan taxa, Arganodus, Colognathus, Microconodon, Boreogomphodon, Crosbysaurus, Uatchitodon, Revueltosaurus, a putative batrachian, a sphenodontian, several indeterminate lepidosauromorphs, several indeterminate archosauriform taxa, phytosaurs, metoposaurs, and putative rauisuchians. The venomous archosauriform Uatchitodon is particularly common at the Moncure locality, despite being only rarely known from only two other sites. I measured many of the Uatchitodon teeth and have been able to reject the hypothesis that Uatchitodon bears grooves as a result of wear, and that the Arizona form is separate from the Tomahawk form. I have also found evidence that the venom conducting teeth are not isolated fangs, but are typical of the entire dentition. Studies on microvertebrate localities, and especially detailed analyses of single, distinct elements, can provide valuable data on evolution, ecology and biostratigraphy not available by other means.