Estemmenosuchus, Microurania, Sinophoneus, Deuterosaurus

Dinocephalia (including Sinophoneus, Deuterosaurus, Estemmenosuchus (below), Microurania, IVPP V 18119 and IVPP V 18120). Known mostly from skulls, this clade of large and robust Late Permian taxa were likely hippo-like herbivores.

Microurania minima (Ivakhnenko 1995; Middle Permian; skull length 5cm) is the only named taxon in an unnamed clade at the base of the Dinocephalia. Derived from a sister to

Sinophoneus yumenensis (Cheng and Ji 1996; Middle Permian, 270mya; GMV 1601; skull length 35cm)

Deuterosaurus biarmicus (Eichwald 1860; D. gigas, Efremov 1954; 5-6m length) was considered an anteosaur, but here nests with Estemmenosuchus despite its long tail.

Estemmenosuchus uralensis (PIN 1758/4, 4m long) was a hippo-like dinocephalian with a short tail and a bony face.

Estemmenosuchus mirabilis and E. uralensis to scale

Estemmenosuchus mirabilis (PIN 1758/6) has extended jugal horns and large postfrontal horns.

Cheng Z and Ji S 1996. First record of a primitive anteosaurid dinocephalian from the Upper Permian of Gansu, China, Vertebrate PalAsiatica 34(2): 123.

Eichwald CE 1860. Lethaea Rossica ou paleontology de la Russie: v. 1. Ancienne Periode. Stuttgart.

Kammerer CF 2011. Systematics of the Anteosauria (Therapsida: Dinocephalia). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 9 (2). doi:10.1080/14772019.2010.492645

Ivakhnenko MF 1995. New primitive therapsids from the Permian of Eastern Europe, Paleontol. Zh. 1995(4):110–119.

Ivakhnenko MF 2003. Eotherapsids from the East European Placket (Late Permian). Paleontological Journal, 37, Suppl. 4: S339-S464.

Liu J 2013. Osteology, ontogeny, and phylogenetic position of Sinophoneus yumenensis (Therapsida, Dinocephalia) from the Middle Permian Dashankou Fauna of China, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33:6, 1394-1407, DOI:10.1080/02724634.2013.781505

Tchudinov PK 1960. Upper Permian therapsids from the Ezhovo locality (Verkhnepermskie terapsidy) ezhovskogo mestonakhozhdenip). Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal 1960(4):81-94.

Therapsida

Anomodontia

Galechirus - Galepus

Patranomodon

Eodicynodon - Dicynodon

Suminia