''Cistecephalus'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

dicynodont Dicynodontia is an extinct clade of anomodonts, an extinct type of non-mammalian therapsid. Dicynodonts were herbivorous animals with a pair of tusks, hence their name, which means 'two dog tooth'. Members of the group possessed a horny, typica ...

therapsid Therapsida is a major group of eupelycosaurian synapsids that includes mammals, their ancestors and relatives. Many of the traits today seen as unique to mammals had their origin within early therapsids, including limbs that were oriented mor ...

from the

Late Permian Late may refer to: * LATE, an acronym which could stand for: ** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia ** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law ** Local average treatment effect, ...

of southern Africa (

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

and

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

). It was a small, specialised, burrowing dicynodont, possibly with habits similar to a modern

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

. The head was flattened and wedge-shaped, the body long, and the forelimbs very strong, with similarities in structure to the forelimb of modern burrowing mammals. It was one of the first genera of dicynodonts to be described, by

Richard Owen Sir Richard Owen (20 July 1804 – 18 December 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and paleontologist. Owen is generally considered to have been an outstanding naturalist with a remarkable gift for interpreting fossils. Ow ...

, in 1876. ''Cistecephalus'' could reach up to in length.

Description

''Cistecephalus'' was one of the most atypical dicynodont genera. However, it was broadly similar in anatomy to other cistecephalids, all of which share similar adaptations to digging. Its skull was broad, with laterally-directed temporal openings and a sharply tapering snout, similar to extant fossorial animals. However, it has relatively large, anteriorly-directed orbits, suggesting binocular vision. It had a short neck and laterally-directed shoulder joint. Its forelimbs were short and powerfully built, and its manus were broad, with fused phalanges. Its hind limbs were flexible and probably could be used to move dirt out of the way.

History

''Cistecephalus'' was one of the first dicynodont genera named, and it has had numerous species assigned to it, but only the type species is considered valid today. Most of these invalid species were incorrectly identified as distinct due to taphonomic differences as well as ontogenetic change and sexual dimorphism. The biology of ''Cistecephalus'' has been interpreted in various ways, due to its rather unusual morphology. Both aquatic and arboreal lifestyles have been suggested, but since 1978, the consensus has been that it was fossorial. Some fossils of a cistecephalid from the

Kundaram Formation The Kundaram Formation is a geological formation in India, located within the Pranhita–Godavari Basin. The unit is between 250–400 metres thick and at its base consists of sandstone-mudstone alterations, followed by a sequence dominated by red ...

of India were regarded as belonging to ''Cistecephalus'', but have since been assigned to a separate genus, '' Sauroscaptor''. ''Cistecephalus'' is derived from the Greek words κίστη ("box") and κεφαλή ("head"), and was spelled ''Kistecephalus'' until emended by

Richard Lydekker Richard Lydekker (; 25 July 1849 – 16 April 1915) was an English naturalist, geologist and writer of numerous books on natural history. Biography Richard Lydekker was born at Tavistock Square in London. His father was Gerard Wolfe Lydekker ...

in 1890. The name is a reference to the boxy shape of its skull.

Species

Iziko Moles Cistecephalus microrhinus specimen

''Cistecephalus'' has had many species assigned to it, most of which are now considered junior synonyms of the type species. Richard Owen named six species when he erected the genus in 1876, of which ''C. microrhinus'' is considered the type. * ''Cistecephalus microrhinus'' is the type species of ''Cistecephalus'' and the only species currently considered valid. * ''Cistecephalus leptorhinus'' was one of the six original species of the genus. This species is a ''nomen dubium'' which has long been assigned to ''

Dicynodon ''Dicynodon'' ("two dog-teeth") is a genus of dicynodont therapsid that flourished during the Upper Permian period. Like all dicynodonts, it was herbivorous animal. This reptile was toothless, except for prominent tusks, hence the name. It proba ...

'' as well as being made the type species of its own genus, '' Baiopsis''. It is potentially a synonym of '' Diictodon feliceps''. * ''Cistecephalus chelydroides'' was one of the six original species of the genus. * ''Cistecephalus planiceps'' was one of the six original species of the genus. * ''Cistecephalus arctatus'' was one of the six original species of the genus. It has been transferred to the genus '' Emydops'', and is one of the two valid species in that genus. * ''Cistecephalus bathygnathus'' was one of the six original species of the genus. * ''Cistecephalus angusticeps'' was named by

Robert Broom Robert Broom FRS FRSE (30 November 1866 6 April 1951) was a British- South African doctor and palaeontologist. He qualified as a medical practitioner in 1895 and received his DSc in 1905 from the University of Glasgow. From 1903 to 1910, ...

in 1932. It is a junior synonym of ''C. microrhinus''. * ''Cistecephalus major'' was named by Robert Broom in 1948. It is a junior synonym of ''C. microrhinus''. * ''Cistecephalus platyfrons'' was named by Robert Broom in 1948. It is a junior synonym of ''C. microrhinus''. * ''Cistecephalus rubidgei'' was named by Robert Broom in 1948. It is a junior synonym of ''C. microrhinus''. * ''Cistecephalus laticeps'' was named by A. S. Brink in 1950.

Classification

''Cistecephalus'' is the type genus of Cistecephalidae, a clade of

emydopoid Emydopoidea is a group of Late Permian dicynodont therapsids. It includes the small-bodied ''Emydops'', ''Myosaurus'', and kingoriids, and the burrowing cistecephalids. Below is a cladogram from Kammerer ''et al.'' (2011) showing the phylogeneti ...

dicynodonts known from southern Africa and India. Cistecephalids are among the most strongly-supported clades within Dicynodontia. Cladogram showing the phylogenetic position of ''Cistecephalus''.

Paleoecology

''Cistecephalus'' appears to have been endemic to the Karoo Basin of

. It is most common in the ''Cistecephalus'' Assemblage Zone, in which it dominates the fauna, and is also found in the slightly older ''Tropidostoma'' Assemblage Zone.

References

External links

Cistecephalus
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2167943 Dicynodonts Lopingian synapsids of Africa Fossil taxa described in 1876 Taxa named by Richard Owen Wuchiapingian genus first appearances Wuchiapingian genus extinctions Anomodont genera