Wits Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI)

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Browsing Wits Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) by School "Geosciences"

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    Cranial morphology of Jonkeria truculenta (Titanosuchidae, Therapsida, Dinocephalia) and a taxonomic reassessment of the family
    (Evolutionary Studies Institute, 2023) Jirah, Sifelani; Rubidge, Bruce S; Abdala, Fernando
    Titanosuchidae are a group of derived herbivorous long snouted dinocephalians currently only known from the South African Karoo. Taxonomic revision of the Titanosuchids, for the first time accompanied by detailed anatomical descriptions and illustrations of representative cranial material, enabled recognition of only two species out of the nine previously recognized. These are Titanosuchus ferox and Jonkeria truculenta. Jonkeria vanderbyli, Jonkeria ingens, Jonkeria haughtoni, Jonkeria parva, Jonkeria rossouwi and Jonkeria boonstrai are here, synonymized with Jonkeria truculenta. The species Jonkeria koupensis is a nomen dubium only identified as Titanosuchid indet. Cranial characters, which modify during ontogenetic development, were, recognized for Jonkeria truculenta, and for the first time an ontogenetic growth series is, presented for this species.
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    Craniomandibular anatomy of the akidnognathid therocephalian Olivierosuchus parringtoni from the Early Triassic of South Africa
    (Evolutionary Studies Institute, 2023) Gigliotti, Alessandro; Pusch, Luisa C; Kammerer, Christian F; Benoit, Julien; Fröbisch, Jörg
    Therocephalians were an ecomorphologically varied and diverse-sized group of therapsids with widespread distribution during the late Permian and earliest Triassic periods. Here, we redescribe the holotype of the therocephalian Olivierosuchus parringtoni (BP/1/3849) from the Early Triassic Lystrosaurus declivis Assemblage Zone in the main Karoo Basin of South Africa. The specimen includes a complete skull, mandible, and the anterior portion of the skeleton. Previously unknown endocranial features are described using high-resolution computed tomography (CT), including internal surfaces of braincase and palatal bones, as well as soft tissue structures such as the brain and inner ear endocasts. Comparisons with closely related therapsids permit a detailed comparative analysis of the brain and inner ear morphology of Olivierosuchus.