Sangusaurus

Sangusaurus
Temporal range: Anisian
~247–242 Ma
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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Clade: Therapsida
Suborder: †Anomodontia
Clade: †Dicynodontia
Family: †Stahleckeriidae
Subfamily: †Stahleckeriinae
Genus: †Sangusaurus
Cox 1969
Type species
†Sangusaurus edentatus
Cox, 1969
Species
  • †S. edentatus Cox 1969 (type)
  • †S. parringtonii Cruickshank 1986

Sangusaurus is an extinct genus of large dicynodont synapsid with two recognized species: S. edentatus (the type species) and S. parringtonii. Sangusaurus is named after the Sangu stream in eastern Zambia near to where it was first discovered + ‘saur’ which is the Greek root for lizard.[1] Sangusaurus fossils have been recovered from the upper parts of the Ntawere Formation in Zambia and of the Lifua Member of the Manda Beds in Tanzania.[2] The earliest study[1] considered Sangusaurus a kannemeyeriid dicynodont, but more recent phylogenetic analyses[3][4] place Sangusaurus within the stahleckeriid clade of Dicynodontia. Until recently, little work had been done to describe Sangusaurus, likely due to the fact that only four incomplete fossil specimens have been discovered.[3]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Cox, 1969 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sidor, 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Angielczyk, 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kammerer, 2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).