Biology:Arctognathus

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Short description: Extinct genus of therapsids

Arctognathus
Temporal range: 259.9–252.17 Ma
Late Permian[1]
Arctognathus curvimola.jpg
Life restoration of A. curvimola
Scientific classification e
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Clade: Therapsida
Clade: Gorgonopsia
Family: Gorgonopsidae
Genus: Arctognathus
Broom, 1911
Species
  • A. curvimola (Owen, 1876 [originally Lycosaurus curvimola]) (type)
Synonyms
  • Arctognathoides Boonstra, 1934
  • Lycaenodontoides Haughton, 1924

Arctognathus is an extinct genus of gorgonopsids that throve during the Late Permian in the Karoo basin of what is now South Africa .[2]

Discovery

1886 illustration of a A. curvimola skull

A carnivore, like all gorgonopsid, Arctognathus was given its name ("Bear jaw") in reference to its short and rounded snout. There is only one recognized species, A. curvimola.[3]

Description

It was a small gorgonopsid with a total length estimated at 1.1 m and an 18 cm skull.[4]

Classification

Restoration of A. curvimola in environment
Head of A. curvimola

Below is a cladogram from the phylogenetic analysis of Gebauer (2007):[5]

Gorgonopsia 

Aloposaurus

Cyonosaurus

Aelurosaurus

Gorgonopsidae

Scylacognathus

Eoarctops

Gorgonops

Njalila

Lycaenops

Arctognathus

Inostrancevia

Rubidgeinae

Aelurognathus

Rubidgea

Sycosaurus

Clelandina

See also

  • List of therapsids

References

  1. "Arctognathus". https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=39111&is_real_user=1. 
  2. Sidor 2003, p. 606
  3. Christian F. Kammerer (2014) Cranial osteology of Arctognathus curvimola, a short-snouted gorgonopsian from the Late Permian of South Africa. Papers in Palaeontology (advance online publication) DOI: 10.1002/spp2.1002 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.1002/abstract
  4. "Arctognathus - Palaeocritti - a guide to prehistoric animals". https://sites.google.com/site/palaeocritti/by-group/gorgonopsia/arctognathus. 
  5. Gebauer, E.V.I. (2007). Phylogeny and evolution of the Gorgonopsia with a special reference to the skull and skeleton of GPIT/RE/7113 ('Aelurognathus?' parringtoni) (PDF) (Ph.D. thesis). Tübingen: Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen. pp. 1–316.

Bibliography

Wikidata ☰ Q2633205 entry