1. Introduction The Middle Triassic formed a crucial time for the evolution of tetrapods, notably the archosaurs which rose to the dominating land vertebrates during the Early Triassic. However, unlike aquatic and amphi- bious tetrapods, such as temnospondyls and phyto- saurs, most archosaurs were terrestrial and thus not often preserved with articulated skeletons. In the last decade, focused research has yielded a range of new archosaur and archosauriform taxa from Triassic de- posits around the world, with Arizonasaurus, Effigia, Dromomeron, Postosuchus, and Vancleavea from the United States (NESBITT 2005, 2007; IRMIS et al. 2007; PEYER et al. 2008; NESBITT et al. 2009a, b), Batracho- tomus from Germany (GOWER 1999), Osmolskina, Polonosuchus, Silesaurus, and an unnamed theropod from Poland (DZIK 2003; SULEJ 2005; DZIK et al. 2008; BRUSATTE et al. 2009; BORSUK-BIA/ LYNICKA & EVANS 2009), Hypselorhachis and Asilisaurus from Tanzania (BUTLER et al. 2009; NESBITT et al. 2010), and Qianosuchus from the southern Chinese Pro- vinces Guizhou and Yunnan (LI et al. 2006). In the last decade, excavations in the Middle Triassic of southwestern Germany have yielded much new material from the deposits of the Lower Keuper or Lettenkeuper (Erfurt Formation). This formation extends across most of the south and centre of Germany, and has been long known for its richness in vertebrate finds, although the mass abundance of the large amphibian remains had long overshadowed the actual diversity of other tetrapods (J AEGER 1824, 1828; MEYER & PLIENINGER 1844; SCHMIDT 1928; WILD 1980). Whereas these marine-influenced swamp deposits are extremely rich in temnospondyls and other aquatic vertebrates (HELLRUNG 2003; SCHOCH 2006, 2008; WITZMANN et al. 2008), terrestrial tetra- pods remained exceptional finds until very recently. New archosauriform remains from the German Lower Keuper Rainer R. Schoch With 8 figures SCHOCH, R.R. (2011): New archosauriform remains from the German Lower Keuper. – N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh., 260: 87–100; Stuttgart. Abstract: Isolated bones of archosauriforms form regular finds in deposits of the Lower Keuper (Erfurt Formation: upper Middle Triassic) of southwestern Germany. In addition to the fairly well known 3-5 m long rauisuchian Batrachotomus kupferzellensis and the very fragmentary Zanclodon laevis, remains of further, 1-2 m long archosauriforms have been identified. Although the number of taxa represented by this incomplete material is unknown, the distinctness of these finds from Batrachotomus and Zanclodon is indicated by the following features: (1) a “rauisuchian” type maxilla with well-developed interdental plates, which forms a long suture with a posterodorsal process of the premaxilla, (2) relatively long cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae, (3) a gracile humerus with a narrow proximal head and a weak deltopectoral crest, (4) a slender and markedly curved tibia, and (5) tear-drop shaped, keeled armour plates. These findings highlight the diversity of large predators in Middle Triassic land vertebrate faunas of Central Europe. Key words: Archosauria, Archosauriformes, Erfurt Formation, Kupferzell, Ladinian, Vellberg. ©2011 Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany www.schweizerbart.de DOI: 10.1127/0077-7749/2011/0133 0077-7749/2011/0133 $ 4.50 N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh. 260/1, 87–100 Article published online March 2011