Colobops

Colobops
Temporal range: Middle Norian 214–210 Ma
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A 3D reconstruction of the skull of Colobops, based on scan data obtained by Pritchard et al. (2018)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: Lepidosauria
Order: Rhynchocephalia
Suborder: Sphenodontia
Genus: †Colobops
Pritchard et al., 2018
Species:
†C. noviportensis
Binomial name
†Colobops noviportensis
Pritchard et al., 2018

Colobops is a genus of reptile from the Late Triassic of Connecticut.[1][2] Only known from a tiny skull (estimated total length of 2.8 centimeters or 1.1 inches long),[3] this reptile has been interpreted to possess skull attachments for very strong jaw muscles. This may have given it a very strong bite, despite its small size.[1] However, under some interpretations of the CT scan data, Colobops's bite force may not have been unusual compared to other reptiles.[2] The generic name, Colobops, is a combination of κολοβός (kolobós), meaning shortened, and ὤψ (ṓps), meaning face. This translation, "shortened face", refers to its short and triangular skull. Colobops is known from a single species, Colobops noviportensis. The specific name, noviportensis, is a latinization of New Haven, the name of both the geological setting of its discovery (the New Haven Arkose) as well as a nearby large city. The phylogenetic relations of Colobops are controversial. Its skull shares many features with those of the group Rhynchosauria, herbivorous archosauromorphs distantly related to crocodilians and dinosaurs. However, many of these features also resemble the skulls of the group Rhynchocephalia, an ancient order of reptiles including the modern tuatara, Sphenodon.[3] Although rhynchosaurs and rhynchocephalians are not closely related and have many differences in the skeleton as a whole, their skulls are remarkably similar. As Colobops is only known from a skull, it is not certain which one of these groups it belonged to. Pritchard et al. (2018) interpreted it as a basal rhynchosaur,[1] while Scheyer et al. (2020) reinterpreted it as a rhynchocephalian.[2]

  1. ^ a b c Pritchard, Adam C.; Gauthier, Jacques A.; Hanson, Michael; Bever, Gabriel S.; Bhullar, Bhart-Anjan S. (2018-03-23). "A tiny Triassic saurian from Connecticut and the early evolution of the diapsid feeding apparatus". Nature Communications. 9 (1): 1213. Bibcode:2018NatCo...9.1213P. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03508-1. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 5865133. PMID 29572441.
  2. ^ a b c Scheyer, Torsten M.; Spiekman, Stephan N. F.; Sues, Hans-Dieter; Ezcurra, Martín D.; Butler, Richard J.; Jones, Marc E. H. (25 March 2020). "Colobops: a juvenile rhynchocephalian reptile (Lepidosauromorpha), not a diminutive archosauromorph with an unusually strong bite". Royal Society Open Science. 7 (3): 192179. Bibcode:2020RSOS....792179S. doi:10.1098/rsos.192179. PMC 7137947. PMID 32269817.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Sues 1993 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).