Arctognathus

Arctognathus is an extinct genus of gorgonopsids that throve during the Late Permian in the Karoo basin of what is now South Africa.^[2]

Arctognathus Temporal range: 259.9–252.17 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Permian[1]
Life restoration of A. curvimola
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Clade:	Therapsida
Clade:	†Gorgonopsia
Family:	†Gorgonopsidae
Genus:	†Arctognathus Broom, 1911
Species
†A. breviceps (Boonstra, 1934 [originally Arctognathoides breviceps]) †A. cookei (Broom, 1948) †A. curvimola (Owen, 1876 [originally Lycosaurus curvimola]) (type) †A. nasuta (Huene, 1950)
Synonyms
Arctognathoides Boonstra, 1934 Lycaenodontoides Haughton, 1924

Discovery

1886 illustration of a A. curvimola skull

A carnivore, like all gorgonopsid, Arctognathus was given its name ("Bear jaw") in reference to its short and rounded snout. There is only one recognized species, A. curvimola.^[3]

Description

It was a small gorgonopsid with a total length estimated at 1.1 m and an 18 cm skull.^[4]

Classification

Restoration of A. curvimola in environment

Head of A. curvimola

Below is a cladogram from the phylogenetic analysis of Gebauer (2007):^[5]

Gorgonopsia	Aloposaurus Cyonosaurus Aelurosaurus Gorgonopsidae Scylacognathus Eoarctops Gorgonops Njalila Lycaenops Arctognathus Inostrancevia Rubidgeinae Aelurognathus Rubidgea Sycosaurus Clelandina

See also

• List of therapsids