Howesia
| Howesia Temporal range: Early–Middle Triassic, | |
|---|---|
| Photograph (top) and μCT rendering (bottom) of SAM-PK-K10180, a skull of H. browni | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Rhynchosauria |
| Genus: | †Howesia Broom, 1905 |
| Species | |
Howesia is an extinct genus of basal rhynchosaur from early Middle Triassic (early Anisian stage) deposits of Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is known from the holotype. SAM-PK-5884 (a partial skeleton with palate and partial lower jaws), two paratypes (SAM-PK-5885 and SAM-PK-5886).[1] The known fossils were found in the Burgersdorp Formation of the middle deposits of the Beaufort Group (Karoo Basin) and referred to Subzone B of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone.[2] The genus contains a single species, Howesia browni, named by Robert Broom in 1905, after Alfred Brown.[3] The contemporary Eohyosaurus wolvaardti (holotype SAM-PK-K10159) has been suggested to be a junior synonym of H. browni based on shared anatomical traits not recognized when the former was named in 2015.[4]
Classification
[edit]
The placement of Howesia as a basal member of the Rhynchosauria is shown in the cladogram below, following the phylogenetic results of Spiekman et al. (2026).[4]
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References
[edit]- ↑ David M. Dilkes (1995). "The rhynchosaur Howesia browni from the Lower Triassic of South Africa". Palaeontology. 38: 665–685.
- ↑ Richard J. Butler; Martín D. Ezcurra; Felipe C. Montefeltro; Adun Samathi; Gabriela Sobral (2015). "A new species of basal rhynchosaur (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha) from the early Middle Triassic of South Africa, and the early evolution of Rhynchosauria". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 174 (3): 571–588. doi:10.1111/zoj.12246. hdl:11449/167867.
- ↑ Robert Broom (1905). "Preliminary notice of some new fossil Reptiles collected by Mr. Alfred Brown at Aliwal North, S. Africa". Records of the Albany Museum. 1 (4): 269–275.
- 1 2 Spiekman, Stephan N. F.; Browning, Claire; Tshibalanganda, Muofhe; Mukherjee, Debarati; Smith, Roger M. H.; Du Plessis, Anton; Wolvaardt, Frederik (2026-07-09). "Micro‐CT informed cranial anatomy of the early rhynchosaur Howesia browni, with implications for rhynchosaur skull evolution". Papers in Palaeontology. 12 (4). doi:10.1002/spp2.70105. ISSN 2056-2799.