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Epicynodontia
Epicynodontia is a clade of cynodont therapsids that includes most cynodonts, such as galesaurids, thrinaxodontids, and Eucynodontia (including mammals). It was erected as a stem-based taxon by Hopson and Kitching (2001) and defined as the most inclusive clade containing Mammalia and excluding ''Procynosuchus'', a Late Permian genus that is one of the most basal cynodonts. Below is a cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ... from Ruta, Botha-Brink, Mitchell and Benton (2013) showing one hypothesis of cynodont relationships: References Cynodonts Lopingian first appearances Extant Permian first appearances Tetrapod unranked clades Taxa named by James Hopson Taxa named by James Kitching {{Therapsid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vetusodon
''Vetusodon'' is an extinct genus of cynodont The cynodonts () (clade Cynodontia) are a clade of eutheriodont therapsids that first appeared in the Late Permian (approximately 260 mya), and extensively diversified after the Permian–Triassic extinction event. Cynodonts had a wide variety ...s belonging to the clade Epicynodontia. It contains one species, ''Vetusodon elikhulu'', which is known from four specimens found in the Late Permian Daptocephalus Assemblage Zone, ''Daptocephalus'' Assemblage Zone of South Africa. With a skull length of about , ''Vetusodon'' is the largest known cynodont from the Permian. Through convergent evolution, it possessed several unusual features reminiscent of the contemporary therocephalian ''Moschorhinus'', including broad, robust jaws, large incisors and Canine tooth, canines, and small, single-cusp (anatomy), cusped postcanine teeth. Discovery and naming ''Vetusodon'' is known from four specimens, all of which have been collected in Sout ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galesauridae
Galesauridae is an extinct family of cynodonts. Along with the family Thrinaxodontidae and the extensive clade Eucynodontia (which includes mammals), it makes up the unranked taxon called Epicynodontia. Galesaurids first appeared in the very latest Permian period, just a million years (or perhaps only a thousand years) before the greatest extinction of all time, the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Galesaurids are some of the most primitive of the Epicynodontia. They may have resembled basal cynodonts such as the Procynosuchidae, and they may have descended from a Procynosuchid-like ancestor, but the Galesaurids were more advanced than the basal Cynodontia. It is clear that, like many other Epicynodontians, many Galesaurids had a complete secondary palate, which allowed them to swallow food while breathing, and the dentary bone was enlarged relative to those of their ancestors. Their temporal fenestrae are much larger than those of the Procynosuchids, but not as large as in m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galesaurid
Galesauridae is an extinct family of cynodonts. Along with the family Thrinaxodontidae and the extensive clade Eucynodontia (which includes mammals), it makes up the unranked taxon called Epicynodontia. Galesaurids first appeared in the very latest Permian period, just a million years (or perhaps only a thousand years) before the greatest extinction of all time, the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Galesaurids are some of the most primitive of the Epicynodontia. They may have resembled basal cynodonts such as the Procynosuchidae, and they may have descended from a Procynosuchid-like ancestor, but the Galesaurids were more advanced than the basal Cynodontia. It is clear that, like many other Epicynodontians, many Galesaurids had a complete secondary palate, which allowed them to swallow food while breathing, and the dentary bone was enlarged relative to those of their ancestors. Their temporal fenestrae are much larger than those of the Procynosuchids, but not as large as in m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galesaurus
''Galesaurus'' (from the Greek roots for 'weasel' and 'lizard') is an extinct genus of carnivorous cynodont therapsid that lived between the Induan and the Olenekian stages of the Early Triassic in what is now South Africa. It was incorrectly classified as a dinosaur by Sir Richard Owen in 1859. Notably, ''Galesaurus'' was mentioned in the first issue of Nature in 1869, where T. H. Huxley erroneously expressed confidence that it would eventually be shown to be a dinosaur. Description The largest ''Galesaurus'' skull discovered is roughly long. Larger remains indicate that an adult ''Galesaurus'' is roughly long. Cynodonts, including ''Galesaurus,'' are believed to have had sprawling postures. Examination of ''Galesaurus'' reveals two distinct morphs, a gracile and a robust morph. The main differences between the two morphs lie in the pectoral and pelvic girdles, as well as subtle differences in the fore and hind limbs. The morphological differences may be due to sexual dimo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thrinaxodon
''Thrinaxodon'' is an extinct genus of cynodonts, most commonly regarded by its species ''T. liorhinus'' which lived in what are now South Africa and Antarctica during the Early Triassic. ''Thrinaxodon'' lived just after the Permian–Triassic mass extinction event, its survival during the extinction may have been due to its burrowing habits. Similar to other therapsids, ''Thrinaxodon'' adopted a semi-sprawling posture, an intermediary form between the sprawling position of basal tetrapods (still observed modern Crocodilia) and the more upright posture present in current mammals.Blob R. 2001. Evolution of hindlimb posture in non-mammalian therapsids: biomechanical tests of paleontological hypotheses. 27(1): 14-38. ''Thrinaxodon'' is prevalent in the fossil record in part because it was one of the few carnivores of its time, and was of a larger size than similar cynodont carnivores. Description ''Thrinaxodon'' was a small synapsid roughly the size of a fox and possibly covered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thrinaxodon Liorhinus
''Thrinaxodon'' is an extinct genus of cynodonts, most commonly regarded by its species ''T. liorhinus'' which lived in what are now South Africa and Antarctica during the Early Triassic. ''Thrinaxodon'' lived just after the Permian–Triassic mass extinction event, its survival during the extinction may have been due to its burrowing habits. Similar to other therapsids, ''Thrinaxodon'' adopted a semi-sprawling posture, an intermediary form between the sprawling position of basal tetrapods (still observed modern Crocodilia) and the more upright posture present in current mammals.Blob R. 2001. Evolution of hindlimb posture in non-mammalian therapsids: biomechanical tests of paleontological hypotheses. 27(1): 14-38. ''Thrinaxodon'' is prevalent in the fossil record in part because it was one of the few carnivores of its time, and was of a larger size than similar cynodont carnivores. Description ''Thrinaxodon'' was a small synapsid roughly the size of a fox and possibly covered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Progalesaurus
''Progalesaurus'' is an extinct genus of galesaurid cynodont from the early Triassic. ''Progalesaurus'' is known from a single fossil of the species ''Progalesaurus lootsbergensis'', found in the ''Lystrosaurus'' Assemblage Zone of the Balfour Formation. Close relatives of ''Progalesaurus,'' other galesaurids, include ''Galesaurus'' and '' Cynosaurus''. Galesaurids appeared just before the Permian-Triassic extinction event, and disappeared from the fossil record in the Middle-Triassic. The name “Progalesaurus” is derived from Greek, “pro” meaning before, “gale” meaning weasel or cat, and “saurus” meaning lizard or reptile (Sidor and Smith). The name refers to the relationship ''Progalesaurus'' has to the more derived ''Galesaurus.'' Discovery and history ''Progalesaurus'' was originally discovered by Roger M. H. Smith in 1998. The specimen was found in the Sneeuberg mountains near New Lootsberg Pass in the Karoo Basin of South Africa. ''Progalesaurus'' was fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cynodonts
The cynodonts () (clade Cynodontia) are a clade of eutheriodont therapsids that first appeared in the Late Permian (approximately 260 mya), and extensively diversified after the Permian–Triassic extinction event. Cynodonts had a wide variety of lifestyles, including carnivory and herbivory. Mammals are cynodonts, as are their extinct ancestors and close relatives, having evolved from advanced probainognathian cynodonts during the Late Triassic. All other cynodont lines went extinct, with the last known non-mammalian cynodont group, the Tritylodontidae, having its youngest records in the Early Cretaceous. Description Early cynodonts have many of the skeletal characteristics of mammals. The teeth were fully differentiated and the braincase bulged at the back of the head. Outside of some crown-group mammals (notably the therians), all cynodonts probably laid eggs. The temporal fenestrae were much larger than those of their ancestors, and the widening of the zygomatic arch in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cynodont
The cynodonts () (clade Cynodontia) are a clade of eutheriodont therapsids that first appeared in the Late Permian (approximately 260 mya), and extensively diversified after the Permian–Triassic extinction event. Cynodonts had a wide variety of lifestyles, including carnivory and herbivory. Mammals are cynodonts, as are their extinct ancestors and close relatives, having evolved from advanced probainognathian cynodonts during the Late Triassic. All other cynodont lines went extinct, with the last known non-mammalian cynodont group, the Tritylodontidae, having its youngest records in the Early Cretaceous. Description Early cynodonts have many of the skeletal characteristics of mammals. The teeth were fully differentiated and the braincase bulged at the back of the head. Outside of some crown-group mammals (notably the therians), all cynodonts probably laid eggs. The temporal fenestrae were much larger than those of their ancestors, and the widening of the zygomatic arch in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bolotridon
''Bolotridon'' is an extinct genus of epicynodontian cynodont. It was renamed from its original genus designation of ''Tribolodon'' (Harry Govier Seeley, 1895), which was already occupied by a genus of cyprinid fish named in 1883 by Sauvage. The name ''Bolotridon'' was coined by Brian W. Coad in a 1977 publication as an anagram of ''Tribolodon''.Coad, B.W. 1977. On the nomenclature of the genus name ''Tribolodon'' (Osteichthyes and Reptilia). Journal of Paleontology 51(5):1046. Fossils of the genus were found in the Anisian ''Cynognathus'' Assemblage Zone of the Burgersdorp Formation of South Africa. See also * List of therapsids This list of therapsids is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the Therapsida excluding mammals and purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera tha ... References External links The main groups of non-mammalian synapsids at Mikko's Phylogeny Archive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thrinaxodontidae
Thrinaxodontidae is an extinct family of cynodonts that includes the genera ''Thrinaxodon'', '' Nanictosaurus'', and '' Nanocynodon'', and possibly ''Bolotridon'', '' Novocynodon'' and ''Platycraniellus''. All thrinaxodontids share a bony secondary palate. Thrinaxodontids are basal members of the cynodont clade Epicynodontia. Some studies consider the family a paraphyletic group, representing an evolutionary grade A grade is a taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity. The term was coined by British biologist Julian Huxley, to contrast with clade, a strictly phylogenetic unit. Definition An evolutionary grade is a group of ... of basal epicynodonts rather than an actual clade. References Prehistoric cynodonts Early Triassic first appearances Early Triassic extinctions Prehistoric therapsid families {{Paleo-Therapsid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cynosaurus
''Cynosaurus'' is an extinct genus of cynodonts. Remains have been found from the ''Dicynodon'' Assemblage Zone in South Africa.T. S. Kemp: ''The Origin and Evolution of Mammals'' Oxford University Press, 2005. ''Cynosaurus'' was first described by Richard Owen in 1876 as ''Cynosuchus suppostus''. ''Cynosaurus'' has been found in the late Permian period. Cyno- is derived from the Greek word kyon for dog and –sauros in Greek meaning lizard. Paleoenvironment Fossils of ''Cynosaurus'' have been found in the ''Cistecephalus'' and ''Daptocephalus'' Assemblage Zones, in the Balfour Formation of the Beaufort Group, pertaining to the Karoo Supergroup of South Africa. In the Karoo Basin of South Africa riverbanks would be over flooded creating floodplains that could hold all that water to start soil accumulation.Viglietti et al, 2018 In the lower Balfour Formation, the soil deposits suggest a lacustrine environment with abundant leaf impressions (Viglietti et al., 2018). This sugg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
