Nanoparia

Nanoparia is an extinct genus of pareiasaur that lived in the Permian.

Nanoparia
Temporal range: Changhsingian, 254–252 Ma
↓
Life reconstruction
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Procolophonomorpha
Family:
†Pareiasauridae
(unranked):
†Pumiliopareiasauria
Genus:
Nanoparia

Broom, 1936
Type species
†Nanoparia luckhoffi
Broom, 1936

Description
Restoration

It was about 60 cm in length, and weighed around 8 to 10 kilograms.

Classification

This is an unusual small, spiny specialised form. The skull is very similar to that of Pareiasaurus and Romer considered it a synonym of the latter. Orlov however (in Osnovy Paleontology, the monumental multi-volume Russian textbook of Paleontology) placed it in the Elginiinae. Kuhn (1969) however argues that while resembling Elginia in the ossifications at the rear of the skull, it differs completely in proportions and would not seem to be related. Lee (1997) considers it a basal member of the dwarf pareiasaurs. Nanoparia is believed to be among the pareiasaur genera most closely related to turtles.[1]

References
  1. Lee, Michael S. Y. (1996). "Correlated progression and the origin of turtles". Nature. 379: 812–815.


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