''Protuberum'' 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 ...

of traversodontid

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 known from a single species ''Protuberum cabralense'',The specific name ''cabralense'' is "necessarily emended from the original ''P. cabralensis'' because ''Protuberum'' is a neuter generic name". from the

Middle Triassic In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided in chronostratigraphy. The Middle Triassic spans the time between Ma and ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

., , & 2009 “A New Traversodontid Cynodont (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Middle Triassic Santa Maria Formation of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil” ''Palaeontology'' 52(1):229-250 As with all genera of the family Traversodontidae, ''Protuberum'' was a

herbivore 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 mouthpart ...

, with a specialized grinding action when feeding. The two known specimens were collected a number of years apart from sediments of the Alemoa Member of the Santa Maria Formation in

Geopark A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences. In 20 ...

of Paleorrota,

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

, Brazil. The first specimen was collected in 1977 and consists of several ribs and vertebrae. The second specimen, collected in 1989, consists of a partial articulated skeleton and a skull. Both specimens were collected by Father Daniel Cargnin. The genus name is in reference to the large amount of protuberances on the ribs and ilia, while the species name is in honor of the Municipality of

Novo Cabrais Novo Cabrais is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), located in the South Region of Brazil. ...

, where the type specimen was collected.

References

Traversodontids Prehistoric cynodont genera Middle Triassic synapsids of South America Fossil taxa described in 2009 Santa Maria Formation {{paleo-therapsid-stub