Late

Late Cretaceous : Campanian and Maastrichtian

The last stages of the Late Cretaceous, the Campanian and Maastrichtian (K7–K8), display a progressive increasing palaeodiversity pattern in the SQS curves ( Fig. 2A, B). The pseudosuchian subsampled palaeodiversity estimates from Mannion et al. (2015) and Tennant et al. (2016), however, show a slight decrease in non-marine crocodyliforms from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian. During this interval, the eusuchian fossil record is entirely Laurasian, with a great occurrence data income from Europe, North America and Asia, in respective order of importance ( Fig. 3A; Table 1). This period has been identified as a first step in the diversification of Eusuchia , with the establishment of the crown-group Crocodylia Owen, 1842 ( Brochu, 2003; Martin & Delfino, 2010; Bronzati et al., 2015). The first-known alligatoroids come from the North American K7 (e.g. Leidyosuchus canadensis Lambe, 1907 ), as did the first-known gavialoids ( Eothoracosaurus mississippiensis Brochu, 2004 referred specimens from the Coon Creek Tongue). In the North American K8 appeared the first-known borealosuchids [e.g. Borealosuchus sternbergii ( Gilmore, 1910) ], along with some of the first-known crocodyloids ( Albertosuchus knudsenii Wu & Brinkman, 2015 and Prodiplocynodon langi Mook, 1941 ). However, during the K7–K8 interval Europe is characterized by the presence of highly endemic basal eusuchian faunas, specifically allodaposuchids and hylaeochampsids ( Buscalioni et al., 2003; Martin & Delfino, 2010; Csiki-Sava et al., 2015; Narváez et al., 2016; Puértolas-Pascual et al., 2015). Europe registers its maximal palaeodiversity in the K8 interval; results in accordance with those of Buscalioni et al. (2003) and Puértolas-Pascual et al. (2015). In fact, the first crocodylians in Europe have been registered in this interval: gavialoids of the genus Thoracosaurus Leidy, 1852 ( Laurent et al., 2000; Storrs & Efimov, 2000; Martin & Delfino, 2010).