Sycosaurus

Sycosaurus
Temporal range: Late Permian
Life restoration of Sycosaurus kingorensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Order: Therapsida
Family: †Gorgonopsidae
Subfamily: †Rubidgeinae
Genus: †Sycosaurus
Haughton, 1924
Species
  • †S. laticeps Haughton, 1924 (type)
  • †S. kingoriensis (von Huene, 1950 [originally Lycaenops kingoriensis])
  • ?†S. vanderhorsti (Broom and George, 1950 [originally Leontosaurus vanderhorst])
Synonyms
  • Leontosaurus Broom and George, 1950

Sycosaurus is an extinct genus of Gorgonopsia. It was medium-sized, about 1.2 m in length. [1] It was first named by Haughton in 1924, and contains three species, S. laticeps (the type species), S. kingoriensis, and S. vanderhorsti.[2] A fourth species, S. brodiei, has been reassigned to the genus Prorubidgea. S. vanderhorsti may be synonymous with S. laticeps.[3] One distinguishing feature of Scycosaurus is its dentition; in each side of the upper jaw, it has five incisors, one enlarged canine, and five postcanine teeth.[2]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.palaeocritti.com/by-group/gorgonopsia/sycosaurus
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Palaeontologia Africana; page 123. By Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research; published 1953. Retrieved on June 24, 2008.
  3. ↑ 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) (Ph.D. thesis). Tübingen: Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen. pp. 1–316.