A New Specimen of Promoschorhynchus (Therapsida: Therocephalia: Akidnognathidae) from the Lower Triassic of South Africa and its Implications for Theriodont Survivorship Across the Permo-Triassic Boundary

The anatomy of a new subadult specimen of eutherocephalian therapsid, attributed to Promoschorhynchus cf. P. platyrhinus, is described from lowermost Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone strata in the main Karoo Basin of South Africa. The specimen preserves information previously unknown in the gen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of vertebrate paleontology 2011-03, Vol.31 (2), p.405-421
Main Authors: Huttenlocker, Adam K, Sidor, Christian A, Smith, Roger M. H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Basins
Boundaries
Cladistics
Dentition
Lystrosaurus
Maxilla
New records
Paleontology
Radiation
Roots
Skeleton
Skull
Survival
Taxa
Teeth
Vertebrate paleontology
Vertebrates
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Summary:The anatomy of a new subadult specimen of eutherocephalian therapsid, attributed to Promoschorhynchus cf. P. platyrhinus, is described from lowermost Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone strata in the main Karoo Basin of South Africa. The specimen preserves information previously unknown in the genus, including details of the posterior region of the skull and intertemporal region, and a partial (though disarticulated) postcranial skeleton. A cladistic analysis of 32 therapsid taxa, including 24 Permo-Triassic therocephalian genera, and 121 craniodental and postcranial characters supports the specimen's placement within the Permian akidnognathid genus Promoschorhynchus (making it the youngest documented occurrence of this taxon) within a monophyletic Therocephalia. Inclusion of new postcranial characters strengthens support of the therocephalian clade. The new record of Promoschorhynchus offers insights into the diversity of eutheriodonts across the Permo-Triassic boundary (PTB) in the Karoo Basin. In contrast to cynodonts, therocephalians exhibited decreased rates of cladogenesis across the PTB, with several Triassic lineages having roots in the Late Permian rather than representing earliest Triassic radiations.
ISSN:0272-4634
1937-2809
DOI:10.1080/02724634.2011.546720