Eutherocephalia
| Eutherocephalia Temporal range: Late Permian-Middle Triassic, 260–243 Ma | |
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| Life restoration of the eutherocephalian Moschorhinus kitchingi preying on a dicynodont | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Therapsida |
| Suborder: | †Therocephalia |
| Clade: | †Scylacosauria |
| Clade: | †Eutherocephalia Hopson and Barghusen, 1986 |
Eutherocephalia ("true beast head") is an infraorder of therocephalian therapsids. Eutherocephalians are distinguished from the lycosuchids and scylacosaurids, two early therocephalian families. While lycosuchids and scyalosaurids became extinct by the end of the Permian period, eutherocephalians survived the Permian–Triassic extinction event. The group eventually became extinct in the Middle Triassic.
The clade Eutherocephalia contains the majority of therocephalians, yet the phylogenetic relations of the groups within it remain unclear. Eutherocephalia is supported as a true clade in many phylogenetic analyses, but the placement of groups like Akidnognathidae, Hofmeyriidae, Whaitsiidae, and Baurioidea, all of which lie within Eutherocephalia, remains debated.[1]
References
- ↑ Rubidge, B.S.; Sidor, C.A. (2001). "Evolutionary patterns among Permo-Triassic therapsids" (PDF). Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 32: 449–480. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.32.081501.114113.