Rastodon

Rastodon is an extinct genus of anomodonts. It is the oldest and most basal known genus of bidentalian dicynodonts. Uniquely among dicynodonts, its tusks curve forward.[1] The type and only species is R. procurvidens.

Rastodon
Temporal range: Mid-Late Permian
~268–259 Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Therapsida
Clade: †Dicynodontia
Clade: †Bidentalia
Genus: †Rastodon
Boos et al. 2016
Species
  • R. procurvidens Boos et al. 2016 (type)

Etymology

Rastodon is derived from the Rio do Rasto Formation, where its remains were found, and the Greek word for "tooth". The species name, R. procurvidens, means "curved forward tooth" and describes its uniquely shaped teeth.

Provenance

Only a single specimen of Rastodon has been discovered so far. It comes from the Rio do Rasto Formation, of the Guadalupian of Brazil.

Description

Rastodon is a fairly typical dicynodont. It bore a beaked head with a single pair of tusks and a keratin-covered nasal boss. However, it does possess several distinctive traits, of which its anteriorly-curved tusks are the most distinctive. Furthermore, its skull is relatively long and shallow compared to its close relatives. Its tusks contacted the lower jaw during propalinal mastication.

Classification

Rastodon is most parsimoniously placed as the basalmost bidental dicynodont, although it may be slightly more derived within Bidentalia.

See also
  • List of synapsids

References
  1. Boos, Alessandra D. S.; Kammerer, Christian F.; Schultz, Cesar L.; Soares, Marina B.; Ilha, Ana L. R. (2016). "A new dicynodont (Therapsida: Anomodontia) from the Permian of southern Brazil and its implications for bidentalian origins". PLoS ONE. 11 (5): e0155000. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155000. PMC 4880204. PMID 27224287.
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