A redescription of the cranial anatomy of Labidosaurikos meachami, a captorhinid reptile from the lower Permian of Texas.

摘要

Redescription of the skull of Labidosaurikos meachami indicates that this captorhinid reptile is highly derived and is distinguished from all other captorhinids by an extensive suite of cranial autapomorphies. The more unusual derived features of this animal include: septomaxilla with a facial process, short and broad postparietal largely restricted to dorsal surface but expanded internally, short, broad, and strongly sculptured supratemporal, transverse flange of the pterygoid placed anteriorly, dorso-ventrally elongated basicranial recess, braincase recessed within skull roof, paroccipital process sutured to stapedial columella, supraoccipital-neurocranial contact unossified, symphysial pad restricted to splenial, and anterior process of coronoid shortened.;Analysis of captorhinid phylogenetic relationships indicates that Labidosaurus, and not Captorhinus, as was previously thought, is the closest sister taxon of the large multiple tooth rowed captorhinids, and suggests that multiple tooth rows were independently evolved in the largest captorhinids and Captorhinus. Comparisons with the dietary habits and physiology of extant reptiles suggest that L. meachami was probably a herbivore.