Data from: Puercosuchus traverorum n. gen. and sp.: a new malerisaurine azendohsaurid (Archosauromorpha: Allokotosauria) from two monodominant bonebeds in the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic, Norian) of Arizona

<p><span><span>Non-archosaur archosauromorphs are a paraphyletic group of diapsid reptiles that are important members of global Middle Triassic and Late Triassic continental ecosystems. Included in this group are the azendohsaurids, a clade of allokotosaurians (kuehneosaurids and Azendohsauridae + Trilophosauridae) that retain the plesiomorphic archosauromorph postcranial body plan but have evolved disparate cranial features that converge on later dinosaurian anatomy, including sauropodomorph-like marginal dentition and ceratopsian-like postorbital horns. Here we describe a new malerisaurine azendohsaurid from two monodominant bonebeds in the Blue Mesa Member, Chinle Formation (Late Triassic, ~218</span><span>–</span><span>220 Ma); the first occurs at Petrified Forest National Park and preserves a minimum of eight individuals of varying sizes, and the second occurs near St. Johns, Arizona. <em>Puercosuchus traverorum</em> n. gen. and sp. is a carnivorous malerisaurine that is closely related to <em>Malerisaurus robinsonae</em> from the Maleri Formation of India and to <em>Malerisaurus langstoni</em> from the Dockum Group of western Texas. Dentigerous elements from <em>Puercosuchus traverorum</em> confirm that some Late Triassic tooth morphotypes thought to represent early dinosaurs cannot be differentiated from, and likely pertain to, <em>Puercosuchus</em>-like malerisaurine taxa. These bonebeds from northern Arizona support the hypothesis that non-archosauriform archosauromorphs were locally diverse near the middle of the Norian and experienced an extinction event prior to the end-Triassic mass extinction coincidental with the Adamanian-Revueltian boundary recognized at Petrified Forest National Park. The relatively late age of this early-diverging taxon (Norian) suggests that the diversity of azendohsaurids is underrepresented in the Middle Triassic and Late Triassic fossil records around the world.</span></span></p>