Tapinocephalus atherstonei

This common large tapinocephalid gave its name to a geological stratum of the Middle Permian of South Africa, the Tapinocephalus assemblage zone. It has a thick skull roof and a massive bony dome probably used for intraspecific head butting.

Name

Tapinocephalus atherstonei

Authority

Owen, 1876

Meaning of generic name

Humble head

Size

Skull length: 45 cm ,Length: 3 m

Remains

Several skulls and postcranial elements

Age and Distribution

Horizon: Lower to Upper Tapinocephalus assemblage zone, Lower Beaufort beds, Middle Permian (Capitanian).

Type locality: Beaufort West, Karoo basin, South Africa.

Classification

Synapsida Therapsida Dinocephalia Tapinocephalia Tapinocephalidae

Further Reading

Owen, R., 1876. Evidences of Theriodonts in Permian Deposits elsewhere than in South Africa: Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, v. 32, p. 352-363.

Synonyms

Tapinocephalus atherstonii Efremov, 1940 (sic); Moschops capensis von Huene, 1956 non Broom, 1911; Taurops macrodon Broom, 1912