Leucocephalus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Leucocephalus Temporal range: Wuchiapingian, | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Suborder: | †Biarmosuchia |
| Family: | †Burnetiidae |
| Genus: | †Leucocephalus Day et al., 2018 |
| Species: | †L. wewersi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Leucocephalus wewersi Day et al., 2018 | |
Leucocephalus is a genus of biarmosuchian belonging to the family Burnetiidae dating to the Wuchiapingian (Late Permian).[1] It was found in the Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone of the Main Karoo Basin of South Africa. It is a monotypic taxon which contains one only species, Leucocephalus wewersi.[1] The genus name Leucocephalus is derived from Greek. Leucos, meaning white; kephalos, meaning skull, as the Leucocephalus skull discovered was unusually pale. The species epithet wewersi comes from the farm employee who found the skull, Klaus 'Klaasie' Wewers.[1]
Biarmosuchians are a group of some of the earliest therapsids, a group of synapsids including mammals and their ancestors.[2]
The skull of Leucocephalus was found in the Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone (Tropidostoma) of the Main Karoo Basin of South Africa.[1] Only a single skull was found which was located in 2012 at a farm called Amandelboom in Northern Cape Province.[1] It was found on a slope with strata that hosted a tetrapod fossil assemblage to the lower Tropidostoma AZ by a local sheep herder who then hung it on a fence on his farm. Although the skull was outside of its site of burial, strata stuck to it was verified to match that of the adjacent cliff section.[1]
