Akidnognathidae Temporal range: Late Permian - Early Triassic
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Holotype skull of Jiufengia jiai | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Clade: | Therapsida |
Clade: | †Therocephalia |
Clade: | †Eutherocephalia |
Family: | †Akidnognathidae Haughton & Brink, 1954 (Nopcsa, 1928) |
Genera | |
List
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Synonyms | |
Akidnognathidae is an extinct family of therocephalian therapsids from the Late Permian and Early Triassic of South Africa, Russia and China. The family includes many large-bodied therocephalians that were probably carnivorous, including Moschorhinus and Olivierosuchus. One akidnognathid, Euchambersia, may even have been venomous. Akidnognathids have robust skulls with a pair of large caniniform teeth in their upper jaws. The family is morphologically intermediate between the more basal therocephalian group Scylacosauridae and the more derived group Baurioidea.