# Olkasuchus

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Genus of aetosaurian reptiles

Olkasuchus Temporal range: Late Triassic (Norian), ~227–213 Ma[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Clade: Pseudosuchia Order: †Aetosauria Family: †Stagonolepididae Subfamily: †Desmatosuchinae Genus: †Olkasuchus Sotomayor et al., 2025 Species: †O. walasto Binomial name †Olkasuchus walasto Sotomayor et al., 2025

***Olkasuchus*** is an [extinct](/source/Extinct) genus of [desmatosuchine](/source/Desmatosuchine) [aetosaur](/source/Aetosaur) known from the [Late Triassic](/source/Late_Triassic) ([Norian](/source/Norian) age) [Los Colorados Formation](/source/Los_Colorados_Formation) of northwestern Argentina. The genus contains a [single species](/source/Monotypic_taxon), ***Olkasuchus walasto***, known from a partial skeleton with preserved [osteoderms](/source/Osteoderm).

## Discovery and naming

The *Olkasuchus* [holotype](/source/Holotype) specimen, PULR-V 246, was discovered in outcrops of the upper [Los Colorados Formation](/source/Los_Colorados_Formation) ('La Esquina' locality) within [Talampaya National Park](/source/Talampaya_National_Park) in [La Rioja Province](/source/La_Rioja_Province%2C_Argentina), Argentina. The specimen comprises an incomplete, partially articulated skeleton including vertebrae, ribs, a partial right [scapulocoracoid](/source/Scapulocoracoid), [humerus](/source/Humerus), [pelvic girdle](/source/Pelvic_girdle), [femur](/source/Femur), [tibia](/source/Tibia), and [fibula](/source/Fibula). Several [osteoderms](/source/Osteoderm) are preserved from the dorsal, ventral, sacral, and caudal regions.[2]

In 2025, Juan C. Sotomayor and colleagues [described](/source/Species_description) *Olkasuchus walasto* as a new genus and species of desmatosuchine aetosaurs based on these fossil remains. The [generic name](/source/Genus), *Olkasuchus*, combines *ólka*, a word from the now-extinct [Kakán](/source/Cac%C3%A1n_language) language spoken by the native people who inhabited the [type locality](/source/Type_locality_(biology)) region, meaning "red", with the [Greek](/source/Greek_language) word *soûkhos* (*suchus*), derived from the Greek name of [Sobek](/source/Sobek), the crocodile-headed [deity of Ancient Egyptian myth](/source/Ancient_Egyptian_deities). This refers to the red-colored outcrops of the Los Colorados Formation in which the holotype was found. The [specific name](/source/Specific_name_(zoology)), *walasto*, is a Kakán word meaning "corner", referencing the type locality of La Esquina, which is in turn a Spanish word for "corner".[2]

## Classification

In their [phylogenetic analysis](/source/Phylogenetic_analysis), Sotomayor and colleagues recovered *Olkasuchus* as the [sister taxon](/source/Sister_taxon) of *[Neoaetosauroides](/source/Neoaetosauroides)*, the only other aetosaur known from the Los Colorados Formation,[3] as the earliest-diverging group within the [stagonolepidid](/source/Stagonolepidid) clade [Desmatosuchinae](/source/Desmatosuchinae), sister to all other members of the clade. These results are displayed in the [cladogram](/source/Cladogram) below:[2]

Aetosauria Aetosauroides scagliai Stagonolepididae Aetosaurinae Stagonolepidoidea Stenomyti huangae Desmatosuchinae Neoaetosauroides engaeus Olkasuchus walasto Calyptosuchus wellesi Adamanasuchus eisenhardtae Scutarx deltatylus Stagonolepis robertsoni Stagonolepis olenkae Garzapelta muelleri Desmatosuchini Gorgetosuchus pekinensis Longosuchus meadei Sierritasuchus macalpini Lucasuchus hunti Desmatosuchus smalli Desmatosuchus spurensis

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Kent, Dennis V.; Santi Malnis, Paula; Colombi, Carina E.; Alcober, Oscar A.; Martínez, Ricardo N. (2014). ["Age constraints on the dispersal of dinosaurs in the Late Triassic from magnetochronology of the Los Colorados Formation (Argentina)"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4050597). *[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences](/source/Proceedings_of_the_National_Academy_of_Sciences)*. **111** (22): 7958–7963. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2014PNAS..111.7958K](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014PNAS..111.7958K). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1073/pnas.1402369111](https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpnas.1402369111). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [4050597](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4050597). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [24843149](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24843149).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Olkasuchus_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Olkasuchus_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Olkasuchus_2-2) Sotomayor, Juan C.; Leardi, Juan Martín; Desojo, Julia Brenda; Gaetano, Leandro Carlos; Otero, Alejandro; Apaldetti, Cecilia. "*Olkasuchus walasto*, a new taxon of Aetosauria (Archosauria; Pseudosuchia) from the Los Colorados Formation (Upper Triassic), Argentina". *[Historical Biology](/source/Historical_Biology)*. **0** (0): 1–22. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/08912963.2025.2571751](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F08912963.2025.2571751). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0891-2963](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0891-2963).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Desojo2007_3-0)** Desojo, Julia Brenda; BáEz, Ana Maria (2007-01-18). "Cranial morphology of the Late Triassic South American archosaur *Neoaetosauroides engaeus*: evidence for aetosaurian diversity". *Palaeontology*. **50** (1): 267–276. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00608.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1475-4983.2006.00608.x). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[11336/135370](https://hdl.handle.net/11336%2F135370). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0031-0239](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0031-0239).

v t e Aetosauria Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Clade: Pseudosuchia Clade: Aetosauriformes Pseudosuchia see Pseudosuchia Aetosauria see below↓ Aetosauria †Aetosauria Aetosauroides Stagonolepididae Aetosaurinae Aetosaurus Coahomasuchus? Stenomyti? Typothoracinae? Apachesuchus Chilenosuchus? Gorgetosuchus? Kryphioparma Redondasuchus Typothorax Paratypothoracini Garzapelta? Kocurypelta Kuttysuchus Paratypothorax Rioarribasuchus Tecovasuchus Venkatasuchus Desmatosuchia Stagonolepidinae? Polesinesuchus Stagonolepis Desmatosuchinae sensu lato Adamanasuchus? Aetobarbakinoides? Calyptosuchus? Chilenosuchus? Neoaetosauroides? Olkasuchus Scutarx? Desmatosuchini (Desmatosuchinae sensu stricto) Desmatosuchus Gorgetosuchus? Longosuchus Lucasuchus Sierritasuchus Category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Olkasuchus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olkasuchus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olkasuchus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.