Mupashi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mupashi is an extinct monotypic genus of therocephalians that lived during the Late Permian of what is now Zambia.[1]. It is represented by the single species Mupashi migrator.[2]
| Mupashi Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | †Therocephalia |
| Family: | †Karenitidae |
| Genus: | †Mupashi Huttenlocker & Sidor, 2016 |
| Type species | |
| †Mupashi migrator Huttenlocker & Sidor, 2016 | |
Description
The holotype skull was recovered from the Upper Madumabisa Mudstone in the Luangwa Basin.[3] Unlike most other therocephalians, Mupashi possessed an unusually high tooth count and a slender, elongated snout. Analysis of the scleral ring (a ring of bone found in the eye) indicates that the animal likely had a nocturnal or crepuscular lifestyle, being well-adapted to low-light environments.[2] Its discovery is significant as it represents the first member of the family Karenitidae found in Gondwana, suggesting a wider geographic distribution for this group than previously thought.[4]
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