| Phonodus Temporal range: Early Triassic | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | † Parareptilia |
| Order: | † Procolophonomorpha |
| Family: | † Procolophonidae |
| Subfamily: | † Leptopleuroninae |
| Genus: | † Phonodus Modesto et al., 2010 |
| Type species | |
| †Phonodus dutoitorum Modesto et al., 2010 | |
Phonodus is an extinct genus of procolophonid parareptile. It is known from a single skull found from the Early Triassic Katberg Formation in South Africa. It is the oldest known member of the subfamily Leptopleuroninae, and was likely the result of a procolophonid migration into the Karoo Basin from Laurasia after the Permo-Triassic extinction event. Because Phonodus had large maxillary teeth underneath a large antorbital buttress (a bony prominence in front of the eye), and a lack of ventral temporal emargination along the side of the skull, it probably had a durophagous diet. [1]
