Aloposaurus

Aloposaurus is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsids from the Late Permian of South Africa. It was first named by Robert Broom in 1910, and contains the type species A. gracilis, and possibly a second species A. tenuis.[1] This small gorgonopsid had a slender narrow skull only 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long, with a total body length of 60–70 cm (2.0–2.3 ft). Aloposaurus is known from a single weathered skull from a probable immature individual.[2]

Aloposaurus Temporal range: Late Permian
Life restoration of Aloposaurus gracilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Therapsida
Suborder:	†Gorgonopsia
Genus:	†Aloposaurus Broom, 1910
Species
†A. gracilis Broom, 1910 (type) †A. tenuis (Brink and Kitching, 1953 [originally Aloposauroides tenuis])
Synonyms
Aloposauroides Brink and Kitching, 1953

Classification

Aloposaurus gracilis  skull restoration, specimen 5317

Aloposaurus

Below is a cladogram from the phylogenetic analysis of Gebauer (2007):[1]

Gorgonopsia	Aloposaurus       Cyonosaurus       Aelurosaurus   Gorgonopsidae   Scylacognathus       Eoarctops     Gorgonops       Njalila       Lycaenops       Arctognathus       Inostrancevia   Rubidgeinae   Aelurognathus       Rubidgea       Sycosaurus     Clelandina

References

1. 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) (Thesis). Dissertation Universität Tübingen.
2. "Aloposaurus", palaeocritti.com.

Sources

• paleodb.org