Chinlea

Chinlea was described by Schaeffer in 1967 from type specimen Chinlea sorenseni (A.M.N.H No. 5652) found in the upper part of the Chinle Formation, Little Valley, San Juan County, Utah. However Schaeffer differentiated Chinlea from Dilpurus by its greater posterior extension of the supratemporal; increased ossification of the extrascapulars; a robust antroventral process on the lateral rostral; larger and triangular postorbital; longer dentary with notched posterior border; anteriorly narrowed angular; small, numerous, closely spaced teeth on dentary; large, tusk-like teeth on premaxilla dermopalatine, possibly ectopterygoid, and precoracoid; and no denticles on anterior borders of the dorsal and caudal fins. == Phylogeny ==

Mawsoniids had two main episodes of diversification; Chinlea occurred during the Triassic episode in North America which also has a younger taxon in South America (Parnaibaia). Of the species on the cladogram, Chinlea is the only one not known to continue into the Jurassic, and Mawsonia and Axelrodichthys did not even evolve until the Jurassic. The following cladogram is based on Cavin et al. (2019). }} == Paleoenvironment and paleoecology ==

Chinlea likely lived in North and South America close to the equator. Unlike marine Latimeriids which include the one genus of extant coelacanths, Mawsoniids could also inhabit fresh or brackish water. The fluvial and lacustrine depositions in the Chinle Formation suggest an area with large bodies of water and a seasonal monsoonal climate. Chinlea lived alongside their likely prey Ceratodus (lungfish) that made burrows to avoid desiccation and lie dormant, giving evidence of a dry season. Chinlea also lived with at least 10 species of Osteichthyes (bony fish), Hybodontids (shark relatives), Metoposaurids (amphibian), and Phytosaurids (reptile). While there were changes to the terrestrial and aquatic tetrapod taxa, fish fauna did not have any major change throughout the formation. == References ==