| Platycraniellus Temporal range: Early Triassic
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | Cynodontia |
| Clade: | Epicynodontia |
| Genus: | †Platycraniellus van Hoepen, 1917 |
| Species: | †P. elegans
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| Binomial name | |
| †Platycraniellus elegans van Hoepen, 1917
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| Synonyms | |
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Platycranion, Platycranion elegans | |
Platycraniellus is an extinct genus of carnivorous cynodonts from the Early Triassic. It is known from the Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone of the Normandien Formation in South Africa. P. elegans is the only species in this genus based on the holotype specimen from the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History in Pretoria, South Africa (formerly known as the Transvaal Museum). Due to limited fossil records for study, Platycraniellus has only been briefly described a handful of times.[1]
Platycraniellus has been recognized as basal cynodonts, characterized by the broad temporal region of the skull and a short snout. Based on its phylogenetic position, Platycraniellus has a variety of morphologies similar to the sister taxon of Thrinaxodon, a relatively well-studied taxon.[1][2]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Abdala2007was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Haughton, Sidney Henry (1924). "On cynodontia from the middle Beaufort beds of Harrismith, Orange Free State". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 11 (1): 74–92. doi:10.1144/gsl.jgs.1924.080.01-04.03. S2CID 129976752.