First ocurrence of Diademodon tetragonus Seeley (Therapsida: Cynodontia) in the Triassic of South America and its biostratigraphic implications

AGUSTIN MARTINELLI; MARCELO DE LA FUENTE; FERNANDO ABDALA

Congreso; III Congreso Latinoamericano de Paleontología de Vertebrados; 2008

Herbivorous/omnivorous diademodontid cynodonts are among the most abundanttetrapods represented in the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone (AZ; Late Olenckian to Late Anisian) of the Beaufort Group of South Africa. In addition, remains of this family were discovered in the Ntawere, Manda, and Omingonde formations of Zambia, Tanzania, and Namibia respectively, and in the Upper Fremouw Formation of Antarctica, all being equivalent to the Cynognathus AZ. In this contribution, we report for the first time the presence of the cynodont Diademodon tetragonus Seeley in the South American Triassic.