Tapinocephalia

The Tapinocephalia are one of the major groups of dinocephalian therapsids and the major herbivorous group. Tapinocephalia has been found to consist of three clades: Styracocephalidae, Titanosuchidae, and the very successful Tapinocephalidae. Notable tapinocephalians include Moschops, Tapinocephalus, and Titanosuchus.

Tapinocephalia Temporal range: Middle Permian, 268–260 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N (possible Kungurian record)
Moschops
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Clade:	Therapsida
Suborder:	†Dinocephalia
Infraorder:	†Tapinocephalia Broom, 1923[1]
Subgroups
†Dimacrodon? †Estemmenosuchidae?[2] †Driveriidae? †Mastersoniidae? †Styracocephalidae †Tapinocephalidae †Titanosuchidae

Description

Unlike anteosaurs and estemmenosuchids, tapinocephalians are primarily an African group. The estemmenosuchids and pareiasaurs may have occupied this paleo-bovine niche in the north. Only one tapinocephalian, Ulemosaurus, is known from Russia. Earlier tapinocephalians were carnivorous or omnivorous. One such group was Titanosuchidae, which consisted of long-tailed predators that hunted herbivorous therapsids. Later tapinocephalians were herbivorous.