''Ictidodraco'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

therocephalian Therocephalia is an extinct suborder of eutheriodont therapsids (mammals and their close relatives) from the Permian and Triassic. The therocephalians ("beast-heads") are named after their large skulls, which, along with the structure of their te ...

therapsid Therapsida is a major group of eupelycosaurian synapsids that includes mammals, their ancestors and relatives. Many of the traits today seen as unique to mammals had their origin within early therapsids, including limbs that were oriented more ...

s from the

Late Permian Late may refer to: * LATE, an acronym which could stand for: ** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia ** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law ** Local average treatment effect, ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

''Ictidodraco longiceps'' was named by South African paleontologists

Robert Broom Robert Broom FRS FRSE (30 November 1866 6 April 1951) was a British- South African doctor and palaeontologist. He qualified as a medical practitioner in 1895 and received his DSc in 1905 from the University of Glasgow. From 1903 to 1910, he ...

and

John T. Robinson John Talbot Robinson FRSSAf (10 January 1923 – 12 October 2001) was a distinguished South African hominin paleontologist. His most famous discovery (with Robert Broom) was the nearly complete fossil skull of the hominin species ''Australopi ...

in 1948 from the ''Cistecephalus'' Assemblage Zone. ''Ictidodraco'' was once classified as a

scaloposauria Baurioidea is a superfamily of therocephalian therapsids. It includes advanced therocephalians such as '' Regisaurus'' and ''Bauria''. The superfamily was named by South African paleontologist Robert Broom in 1911. Bauriamorpha, named by D. M. S. ...

n in the family

Silpholestidae ''Silpholestes'' is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsids from the Late Permian of South Africa. The type species ''Silpholestes jackae'' was named by South African paleontologist Robert Broom in 1948 from the ''Cistecephalus'' Assemblag ...

. Scaloposauria and Silpholestidae are no longer regarded as valid groups, and ''Ictidodraco'' is now classified as a basal member of the

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, ...

Baurioidea Baurioidea is a superfamily of therocephalian therapsids. It includes advanced therocephalians such as ''Regisaurus'' and ''Bauria''. The superfamily was named by South African paleontologist Robert Broom in 1911. Bauriamorpha, named by D. M. ...

Description

''Ictidodraco'' is a small therocephalian with a long, pointed snout. It has large

orbits In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a p ...

or eye sockets that are enclosed by complete postorbital bars at the back margin of the sockets. The temporal openings behind the orbits are relatively small. At the top of the skull, between the two temporal openings, the parietal region is wide. Unlike those of other therocephalians, the parietal does not form a distinctive

sagittal crest A sagittal crest is a ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the skull (at the sagittal suture) of many mammalian and reptilian skulls, among others. The presence of this ridge of bone indicates that there are exceptiona ...

. As in other advanced therocephalians ''Ictidodraco'' has a small

secondary palate The secondary palate is an anatomical structure that divides the nasal cavity from the oral cavity in many vertebrates. In human embryology, it refers to that portion of the hard palate that is formed by the growth of the two palatine shelves medi ...

. A secondary palate is a

derived Derive may refer to: * Derive (computer algebra system), a commercial system made by Texas Instruments * ''Dérive'' (magazine), an Austrian science magazine on urbanism *Dérive, a psychogeographical concept See also * *Derivation (disambiguatio ...

feature that gives advanced therocephalians a very mammal-like appearance, although it developed independently in the group as a result of

convergence Convergence may refer to: Arts and media Literature *''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen * "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics: **A four-part crossover storyline that united the four Wei ...

References

Lopingian synapsids of Africa Baurioids Therocephalia genera Lopingian genus first appearances Lopingian genus extinctions {{Permian-reptile-stub