Palaeont. afr., 38, 71-72 (2002) 

REPLACEMENT NAMES FOR THE THERAPSID GENERA CRIOCEPHALUS BROOM 1928 AND 
OLIVIER/A BRINK 1965. 

by 

Christian F. Kammerer1 & Christian A. Sidor2 

1The College, University of Chicago, 1009 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637 
email: cjkammer@ midway. uchicago. edu 

2Department of Anatomy, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568 
email: casidor@ iris.nyit.edu 

INTRODUCTION 
Our knowledge of premammalian synapsid 

evolutionary history has benefited from over a hundred 
years of fossil collecting, especially within the Permo­
Triassic sediments of South Africa's Beaufort Group 
(Rubidge 1995) and the Cis-Ural region of Eastern 
Europe (Ivachnenko et al. 1997). In the course of our 
research and discussions we have discovered several 
errors in the present state of non-mammalian synapsid 
taxonomy. Here we propose emendations concerning 
the genera Criocephalus Broom 1928 and Olivieria 
Brink 1965. 

Institution Abbreviations-BP, Bernard Price 
Institute for Palaeontological Research, University of 
the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; KM, McGregor 
Museum, Kimberley. 

Criocephalus 
Broom (1928) erected the genus Criocephalus for a 

tapinocephalid dinocephalian. However, the name 
Criocephalus was first used by Mulsant (1839) for the 
cerambycid beetle Cerambyx rusticus Linnaeus, 1758 
(Coleoptera; Insecta). Schiodte (1864) used the name 
Criocephalum for Mulsant's Criocephalus, despite the 
fact that the name Criocephalum had already been used 
by Dejean (1835) for a different cerambycid beetle. 
Broom's Criocephalus vanderbyli was based on KM 
5138, a fragmentary specimen preserving the occipital 
portion of a cranium from the Tapinocephalus 
Assemblage Zone of the farm Abrahamskraal (Prince 
Albert District, South Africa). Boonstra (1969) placed 
additional remains from Zimbabwe in an undescribed 
new species, C. gunyankaensis [nomen nudum]. 
Because Criocephalus Broom, 1928, is preoccupied by 
Criocephalus Mulsant, 1839, it requires a new generic 
name, for which we propose Criocephalosaurus nom. 
nov. Criocephalosaurus is derived from the Greek 
words krios (ram), kephalos (head), and sauros 
(lizard), and is masculine. 

Olivieria 
The therocephalian therapsid Olivieria parringtoni 

was named by Brink (1965). The holotype for this 
taxon, now catalogued as BP/113849 (formerly BPI 
M379), preserves a complete skull and partial skeleton 

that was recovered from high in the Lystrosaurus 
Assemblage Zone of the Bergville District, KwaZulu­
Natal Province, South Africa. However, the name 
Olivieria had already been used over a century earlier 
by Robineau-Desvoidy (1830) as a new generic name 
for Musca lateralis Fabricius, 1775, a tachinid fly 
(Diptera; Insecta). Earlier still, M. lateralis Fabricius 
had been made the type species of the genus Eriothrix 
by Meigen (1803). To add to the confusion, M. lateralis 
Fabricius was found to have a senior homonym, Musca 
lateralis Linnaeus, 1758. Therefore, Musca 
rufomaculata De Geer (1776), the most senior 
available synonym of M. lateralis Fabricius, became 
the type species of Eriothrix Meigen and Olivieria 
Robineau-Desvoidy. The currently valid name for this 
species of fly is Eriothrix rufomaculata (De Geer 
1776), with Olivieria Robineau-Desvoidy in the 
synonymy of Eriothrix Meigen (Herting 1984). 

As if the situation were not complex enough, Meigen 
(1838) also used the name Olivieria, in reference to a 
different tachinid fly (Tachina longirostris Meigen 
1824). By principles of priority, OlivieriaMeigen 1838 
and Olivieria Brink 1965 are both junior homonyms of 
Olivieria Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830. The former was 
recognized as preoccupied in 1848 and two 
replacement names were advanced: Rhynchosia 
Macquart, 1848 and Cotilla Gistel 1848. Olivieria 
Meigen, 1838 and its replacements are currently placed 
in the synonymy of Aphria Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 
because the type speciesAphria abdominalis is a junior 
synonym of Tachina longirostris Meigen 1824 (see 
Herting 19 84). However, the therocephalian 
"Olivieria" parringtoni still requires a new generic 
name, for which we propose Olivierosuchus nom. nov. 
as a replacement. Olivierosuchus is derived from the 
Oliviershoek Pass where the type specimen was found 
and the Greek sukhous, meaning crocodile. It is 
masculine. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
For access to fossils housed in their respective institutions we 

thank: B. Rubidge and M. Raath (BP) and R. Smith and S. Kaal 
(South African Museum). In addition, we acknowledge J. O'Hara 
for discussion of fly taxonomy and J. Hopson, R. Reisz, B. Rubidge, 
and S. Modesto for their comments on the manuscript. CAS's 
research in South Africa has been supported by NSF DEB-9801342, 
the Hinds Fund (University of Chicago), and the New York College 
of Osteopathic Medicine. 



72 

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