Pylaecephalidae is a family (biology), family of dicynodont therapsids that includes ''Diictodon'', ''Robertia'', and ''Prosictodon'' from the Permian of South Africa. Pylaecephalids were small burrowing dicynodonts with long tusks. The family was first named in 1934 and was redefined in 2009.
Diictodontidae and Robertiidae are considered junior synonyms of Pylaecephalidae;
although ''Pylaecephalus'' itself is considered a junior synonym of ''Diictodon'',
[Sullivan, C., & Reisz, R. R. (2005)]
CRANIAL ANATOMY AND TAXONOMY OF THE LATE PERMIAN DICYNODONT DIICTODON.
Annals of Carnegie Museum, 74(1), 45–75. the name Pylaecephalidae predates these names and therefore takes priority.
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Phylogeny
Below is a cladogram modified from Angielczyk et al. (2021):
References
Prehistoric synapsids of Africa
Dicynodontia
Permian synapsids
Permian first appearances
Permian extinctions
Prehistoric therapsid families
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