Criocephalosaurus

Criocephalosaurus is an extinct genus of tapinocephalian therapsids which existed in Southern Africa. It was originally named Criocephalus, but the name was preoccupied by a beetle genus.[1] There are two named species, C. vanderbyli and C. gunyankaensis: the range of the latter may have been farther north than that of C. vanderbyli. Boonstra (1963) considers this taxon the most specialized of the moschopines.

Criocephalosaurus
Temporal range: Capitanian
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Therapsida
Suborder: †Dinocephalia
Family: †Tapinocephalidae
Subtribe: †Moschopina
Genus: †Criocephalosaurus
Kammerer & Sidor, 2002
Species
  • †C. gunyankaensis Boonstra, 1969
  • †C. vanderbyli Broom, 1928
Synonyms
  • Criocephalus preoccupied

Description

These animals were 2.5 to 3 metres (8 ft 2 in to 9 ft 10 in) in length and 700 to 1,000 kilograms (1,543 to 2,205 lb) in mass. Criocephalosaurus is known from at least half a dozen skulls are now known. The intertemporal region is very broad and the cranial roof greatly thickened by pachyostosis.

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References
  1. Kammerer, C.F & Sidor, C.A. (2002). "Replacement names for the therapsid genera Criocephalus Broom 1928 and Olivieria Brink 1965". Palaeontologia Africana. 38: 71–72.


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