Epicynodontia is a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

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 ...

therapsids that includes most cynodonts, such as

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 lat ...

thrinaxodontid 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 secon ...

s, 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 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