| Nikkasauridae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Suborder: | † Biarmosuchia |
| Family: | † Nikkasauridae Ivakhnenko, 2000 |
| Genera | |
Nikkasauridae is a family of biarmosuchian therapsids. It contains two genera Nikkasaurus and Reiszia . [1] [2] [3]
Dinosaurus is an extinct genus of therapsid of controversial affinities. Its type and only species is Dinosaurus murchisonii. It is only known from a partial snout from the Permian of Russia. Its taxonomic history is intertwined with several other poorly-known Russian therapsids, particularly Rhopalodon, Brithopus, and Phthinosuchus.
Eotitanosuchus is an extinct genus of biarmosuchian therapsids whose fossils were found in the town of Ochyor in Perm Krai, Russia. It lived about 267 million years ago. The only species is Eotitanosuchus olsoni.
Biarmosuchians are an extinct clade of non-mammalian synapsids from the Permian. They are the most basal group of the therapsids. All of them were moderately-sized, lightly-built carnivores, intermediate in form between basal sphenacodont "pelycosaurs" and more advanced therapsids. Biarmosuchians were rare components of Permian ecosystems, and the majority of species belong to the clade Burnetiamorpha, which are characterized by elaborate cranial ornamentation.
Ennatosaurus is an extinct genus of caseid synapsid that lived during the Middle Permian in northern European Russia. The genus is only represented by its type species, Ennatosaurus tecton, which was named in 1956 by Ivan Antonovich Efremov. The species is known from at least six skulls associated with their lower jaws, as well as from the postcranial bones of several juvenile individuals. Ennatosaurus has the typical caseid skull with a short snout tilted forward and very large external nares. However, it differs from other derived caseids by its postcranial skeleton with smaller proportions compared to the size of the skull. As with other advanced caseids, the teeth of Ennatosaurus were well suited for slicing and cutting vegetation. The presence of a highly developed hyoid apparatus indicates the presence of a massive and mobile tongue, which had to work in collaboration with the palatal teeth during swallowing. With a late Roadian - early Wordian age, Ennatosaurus is one of the last known caseids.
Nikkasaurus is an extinct genus of therapsids.
Eurosaurus is an extinct genus of non-mammalian synapsids. Its taxonomic history is intertwined with that of the therapsids Brithopus and Orthopus and the temnospondyl Melosaurus.
Niaftasuchus is an extinct genus of therapsids. Its type and only named species is Niaftasuchus zekkeli.
Reiszia is an extinct genus of therapsids from European Russia belonging to the family Nikkasauridae.
Ulemica is an extinct genus of venjukoviid therapsids. It was a basal member of the suborder Anomodontia that existed during the Middle Permian in Russia. The type species, U. invisa, was assigned to the genus Venjukovia prior to being placed within its own genus in 1996. This small anomonodont is only known from a partial skull found in the Amanakskaya Formation.
Raranimus is an extinct genus of therapsids of the Middle Permian. It was described in 2009 from a partial skull found in 1998 from the Dashankou locality of the Xidagou Formation, outcropping in the Qilian Mountains of Gansu, China. The genus is the most basal known member of the clade Therapsida, to which the later Mammalia belong.
Alrausuchus is an extinct genus of biarmosuchian therapsids from Russia. It was named by M.F. Ivakhnenko in 2008, as a reclassification of the species Biarmosuchus tagax that Ivachnenko had named in 1990. Ivachnenko erected the monotypic family Alrausuchidae for the genus.
Gorochovetzia is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsids from the Late Permian of Russia. Fossils have been found in the Gorokhovetsky District of Vladimir Oblast. Gorochovetzia is a member of the family Hofmeyriidae. Its type and only species is G. sennikovi, named in 2011. The skull is short and very robust. The canine teeth are large, while those behind them have enlarged crowns and serrated edges. The lower jaw is deep and curved upward.
Purlovia is an extinct genus of herbivorous therocephalian therapsids from the Late Permian of Russia. Together with the closely related South African genus Nanictidops, it is a member of the family Nanictidopidae. Fossils have been found from the Tonshayevsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. The type species of Purlovia, P. maxima, was named in 2011.
Muchia is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsids from the Late Permian of Russia. Fossils have been found in the Kotelnichsky District of Kirov Oblast. The type species M. microdenta was named in 2011. Muchia is known only from a fragment of the lower jaw, making its classification among therocephalians uncertain. It is thought to be within the subfamily Tetracynodontinae, part of the larger group Baurioidea. Other members of the group such as Tetracynodon and Malasaurus are known from more complete material, and have small elongated skulls. Muchia probably had a similar appearance to these therocephalians.
Silphedosuchus is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsids from the Early Triassic of Russia. It is a member of the family Ericiolacertidae, along with the genus Ericiolacerta from South Africa and Antarctica. The type species Silphedosuchus orenburgensis was described in 1977 on the basis of a single holotype skull from Orenburg Oblast.
Macroscelesaurus is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsid from the Late Permian of South Africa. The type species Macroscelesaurus janseni was named by Sidney H. Haughton in 1918 from the Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone. It is one of the few therocephalians known from postcranial remains.
Novocynodon is an extinct genus of therapsids from the Middle Permian of Russia. Fossils have been found in Alexandrovsky District, Orenburg Oblast. The type and only species is Novocynodon kutorgai. It was classified as a thrinaxodontid cynodont when first described in 2012, but this was disputed by Kammerer (2014), who argued that it might instead be a juvenile anomodont or dinocephalian.
Phthinosaurus is an extinct genus of therapsids from the Middle Permian of Russia. The type species Phthinosaurus borrisiaki was named by Soviet paleontologist Ivan Yefremov in 1940 on the basis of an isolated lower jaw. Because this jaw provides few distinguishing characteristics, the evolutionary relationships of Phthinosaurus are poorly known. Yefremov named the family Phthinosuchidae in 1954 to include Phthinosaurus and the newly named Phthinosuchus, which was described on the basis of a crushed partial skull. American paleontologist Everett C. Olson placed both of these therapsids in the larger infraorder Phthinosuchia in 1961. In 1974 Leonid Tatarinov named the family Phthinosauridae to include Phthinosaurus alone, retaining Phthinosuchus within Phthinosuchidae.
Venyukoviamorpha is an extinct superfamily of anomodont therapsids under the superorder Venyukovoidea. While the exact placement of many genera within the basal anomodonts is contentious, it is generally accepted that the Venyukoviamorpha represent a monophyletic clade.
Leogorgon is a extinct genus of dubious therapsid from the Late Permian of Russia. It was originally classified as a rubidgeine gorgonopsian, and would have been the first member of that clade from outside of Africa if that identification had been valid. However, it may instead be a combination of the tooth of a gorgonopsian and the braincase of a dicynodont, and may be a wastebin taxon.
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