''Dicynodon'' ("two dog-teeth") is a genus of

dicynodont Dicynodontia is an extinct clade of anomodonts, an extinct type of non-mammalian therapsid. Dicynodonts were herbivorous animals with a pair of tusks, hence their name, which means 'two dog tooth'. Members of the group possessed a horny, typic ...

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 ...

that flourished during the

Upper Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

. Like all dicynodonts, it was

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

animal. This reptile was toothless, except for prominent tusks, hence the name. It probably cropped vegetation with a horny beak, much like a tortoise, while the tusks may have been used for digging up roots and tubers. Many species of ''Dicynodon'' have been named, and the genus is considered a

wastebasket taxon Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined ...

. A 2011 study of the genus found most of the species to represent a paraphyletic grouping, with the only valid members of ''Dicynodon'' being ''D. lacerticeps'' and ''D. huenei''. A 2019 study named a new species ''D. angielczyki'', but simultaneously transferred ''D. huenei'' to the genus '' Daptocephalus''.

Description

''Dicynodon'' was a medium-sized and advanced member of the Dicynodont group. It had an average length of , although size differed among species. Its fossil remains have been found in sediments of latest Permian age in South Africa and Tanzania. 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 specime ...

is ''Dicynodon lacerticeps'' Owen, 1845. A large number of species have since been placed in this genus, some of which turned out to be synonyms of other species, others have been moved to different genera.

Species

Two species of ''Dicynodon'' are currently recognized: the

''D. lacerticeps'' from South Africa and the species ''D. angielczyki'' from Tanzania. Since the genus was first named, over 160 species have been assigned to ''Dicynodon''. A 2011 study of the genus found 11 of these species to be valid, although most are now assigned to other dicynodont genera. Below is a list of all species that have ever been assigned to ''Dicynodon''. Since their naming, most have been considered as synonymous with other dicynodont species. Names in bold are still referable to ''Dicynodon''.

References

* * Lucas, S. G., 2005, ''Dicynodon'' (Reptilia: Therapsida) from the Upper Permian of Russia: biochronologic significance: In: ''The Nonmarine Permian''; edited by Lucas, S. G., and Zeigler, K. E., New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, Bulletin 30, p. 192-196.

External links

Dicynodon
- Mikko's Phylogeny archive (list of species and cladogram) {{Taxonbar, from=Q577736 Dicynodonts Lopingian synapsids of Africa Taxa named by Richard Owen Fossil taxa described in 1845 Changhsingian genera Anomodont genera

Description

Species

See also

References

External links