Procolophonidae

Procolophonidae is an extinct family of small, lizard-like parareptiles known from the Late Permian to Late Triassic that were distributed across Pangaea, having been reported from Europe, North America, China, South Africa, South America, Antarctica and Australia. The most primitive procolophonids were likely insectivorous or omnivorous, more derived members of the clade developed bicusped molars, and were likely herbivorous feeding on high fiber vegetation or durophagous omnivores.^[3] Many members of the group are noted for spines projecting from the quadratojugal bone of the skull, which likely served a defensive purpose as well as possibly also for display.^[4] At least some taxa were likely fossorial burrowers.^[5] While diverse during the Early and Middle Triassic, they had very low diversity during the Late Triassic, and were extinct by the beginning of the Jurassic.^[6]

Procolophonids Temporal range: 265–201.3 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Middle Permian - Late Triassic
Skeleton (top) and life restoration (bottom) of Kapes bentoni (Procolophoninae) scale bar = 1cm
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	†Parareptilia
Order:	†Procolophonomorpha
Superfamily:	†Procolophonoidea
Family:	†Procolophonidae Seeley, 1888
Subgroups and Genera
†Coletta †Gomphiosauridion? †Kinelia? †Kitchingnathus †Lasasaurus †Oryporan †Phaanthosaurus †Pintosaurus †Sauropareion †Smilodonterpeton †Sphenosaurus †Suchonosaurus †Spondylolestes? †Tichvinskia †Xenodiphyodon? †Youngetta †Leptopleuroninae †Procolophoninae †Theledectinae
Synonyms
Sclerosauridae Nopcsa, 1923[1][2]

Skull of Kapes bentoni

Phylogeny

The family is defined as all taxa more closely related to Procolophon trigoniceps than to Owenetta rubidgei.^[1] Below is a cladogram from Ruta et al. (2011):^[7]

Procolophonidae

Coletta seca Pintosaurus magnidentis Sauropareion anoplus Kitchingnathus untabeni Phaanthosaurus ignatjevi Phaanthosaurus simus Theledectinae Eumetabolodon dongshengensis Theledectes perforatus Tichvinskia vjatkensis Leptopleuroninae Pentaedrusaurus ordosianus Neoprocolophon asiaticus Sclerosaurus armatus Scoloparia glyphanodon Leptopleuron lacertinum Soturnia caliodon Hypsognathus fenneri Procolophoninae Eumetabolodon bathycephalus Procolophon trigoniceps Teratophon spinigenis Thelerpeton oppressus Timanophon raridentatus Thelephon contritus Anomoiodon liliensterni Kapes amaenus Kapes bentoni Kapes komiensis Kapes majmesculae

Below are three cladograms that follow phylogenetic analyses by Butler et al. (2023). Analysis 1: Strict consensus of 760 most parsimonious trees (MPTs):^[8]

Procolophonidae

Eomurruna Procolina Anomoiodon Lasasaurus Kitchingnathus Phonodus Thelephon Kapes bentoni Kapes majmesculae Timanophon Tichvinskia Theledectes Eumetabolodon dongshengensis Phaantosaurus (sic) Sauropareion Pintosaurus Coletta Eumetabolodon bathycephalus Procolophoninae Teratophon Thelerpeton Procolophon Leptopleuroninae Neoprocolophon Pentaedrusaurus Mandaphon Scoloparia Sclerosaurus Hwiccewyrm Hypsognathus Soturnia Leptopleuron

Analysis 2: Single MPT:^[8]

Procolophonidae

Coletta Lasasaurus Sauropareion Kitchingnathus Pintosaurus Phaantosaurus (sic) Eomurruna Eumetabolodon dongshengensis Timanophon Tichvinskia Procolophoninae Eumetabolodon bathycephalus Thelerpeton Teratophon Procolophon Leptopleuroninae Kapes bentoni Thelephon Kapes majmesculae Pentaedrusaurus Anomoiodon Theledectes Procolina Phonodus Mandaphon Neoprocolophon Scoloparia Sclerosaurus Hwiccewyrm Leptopleuron Hypsognathus Soturnia

Analysis 3: Strict consensus of 18 MPTs:^[8]

Procolophonidae

Coletta Sauropareion Kitchingnathus Phaantosaurus (sic) Eumetabolodon dongshengensis Eomurruna Theledectes Procolina Phonodus Lasasaurus Anomoiodon Thelephon Kapes bentoni Kapes majmesculae Timanophon Tichvinskia Eumetabolodon bathycephalus Procolophoninae Teratophon Thelerpeton Procolophon Leptopleuroninae Neoprocolophon Pentaedrusaurus Mandaphon Scoloparia Sclerosaurus Hwiccewyrm Hypsognathus Soturnia Leptopleuron