Lycaenodon is an extinct genus of biarmosuchian therapsids from the Late Permian of South Africa. It is known from a single species, Lycaenodon longiceps, which was named by South African paleontologist Robert Broom in 1925. Both are small-bodied biarmosuchians. Two specimens are known, and both preserve only the front portions of the skull. These specimens come from the Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone of the Karoo Basin. Broom attributed the back portion of a third skull to Lycaenodon, but subsequent examiners considered it to belong to a gorgonopsian or dinocephalian and not a biarmosuchian. Most of the distinguishing features of Lycaenodon come from its palate. As a member of Biarmosuchia, the most basal group of therapsids, Lycaenodon shares many features with earlier and less mammal-like synapsids like Dimetrodon.[1]
A 2012 phylogenetic analysis of biarmosuchians found Lycaenodon to be a close relative of the derived clade Burnetiamorpha.[2]
^Sidor, C. A. (2003). "The Naris and Palate of Lycaenodon Longiceps (Therapsida: Biarmosuchia), with Comments on Their Early Evolution in the Therapsida". Journal of Paleontology. 77 (5): 977–984. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2003)077<0977:TNAPOL>2.0.CO;2.
^Rubidge, B. S.; Sidor, C. A.; Modesto, S. P. (2006). "A New Burnetiamorph (Therapsida: Biarmosuchia) from the Middle Permian of South Africa". Journal of Paleontology. 80 (4): 740. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2006)80[740:ANBTBF]2.0.CO;2.
Lycaenodon is an extinct genus of biarmosuchian therapsids from the Late Permian of South Africa. It is known from a single species, Lycaenodon longiceps...
Biarmosuchus from Russia, Hipposaurus, Herpetoskylax, Ictidorhinus and Lycaenodon from South Africa, and Wantulignathus from Zambia. Biarmosuchians are...
characteristics may be representative of a juvenile animal, possibly of Lycaenodon. However, these two genera are not known to have existed at the same time...
inferred that the premaxilla was short, similar to its fellow biarmosuchian, Lycaenodon. Four premaxillary teeth are present with few serrations (likely from...
have a significant boss. Lycaenodon longiceps is in the clade Biarmosuchia and has some similarities to Burnetia. Both Lycaenodon and Burnetia likely had...
1098/rspb.2009.0883 SIDOR, Christian. (2003). The Naris and palate of Lycaenodon longiceps (Therapsida: BIARMOSUCHIA), with comments on their early evolution...
Paleontology, 24(4), 938-950. C. A. Sidor 2003. The naris and palate of Lycaenodon longiceps (Therapsida: Biarmosuchia), with comments on their early evolution...
premaxillae are long (like in Biarmosuchus and Hipposaurus) or short (as in Lycaenodon). There are nine small incisors preserved. The maxilla resembles the typical...
Name Status Authors Age Location Notes Images Lycaenodon Valid Broom 257 Millions of years ago South Africa Lycaenoides Valid Broom Lycaenops Valid Broom...
Permian of South Africa. Sidor, C.A. (2003). "The naris and palate of Lycaenodon longiceps (Therapsida: Biarmosuchia), with comments on their early evolution...
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