[dinosaur] Kembawacela, new cistecephalid dicynodont (Therapsida) from Upper Permian of Zambia

Ben Creisler
[email protected]


A new paper:


Kembawacela kitchingi gen. et. sp. nov.

Kenneth D. Angielczyk, Julien Benoit & Bruce S. Rubidge (2019)
A new tusked cistecephalid dicynodont (Therapsida, Anomodontia) from the
upper Permian upper Madumabisa Mudstone Formation, Luangwa Basin, Zambia
Papers in Palaeontology (advance online publication)
doi:  https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.1002_spp2.1285&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=HIl03Kx-Bag2jJY2gb3YA82d42Gu-Uw0Vnv8y6Kuoj0&s=9kBGudlqaChpxn4kGG95aw0D_4WlZI0nJ57Ab0GR57w&e= 
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__onlinelibrary.wiley.com_doi_10.1002_spp2.1285&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=HIl03Kx-Bag2jJY2gb3YA82d42Gu-Uw0Vnv8y6Kuoj0&s=p399v-MzYcR3aCm9v6vMQ2O5SrL_coya8sRHtYlxORA&e= 

Data for this study are available in the Dryad Digital Repository:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__doi.org_10.5061_dryad.hg4873q&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=HIl03Kx-Bag2jJY2gb3YA82d42Gu-Uw0Vnv8y6Kuoj0&s=tcXcB_8Epr4U452MCjnzjJlAjLW7-m3jmp3tkQ12-wM&e= .


Cistecephalids are among the most distinctive Permian dicynodonts because
of their highly derived skulls and postcrania, which indicate a fossorial
ecology. Four cistecephalid species have been described from India, South
Africa, and Tanzania; a fifth putative species has been reported from the
Luangwa Basin of Zambia but never formally described. Here we present a
detailed description of the Luangwa Basin cistecephalid, which we name
Kembawacela kitchingi gen. et. sp. nov. The most obvious diagnostic
character of K. kitchingi is the presence of caniniform tusks in most
specimens. Other important characters include a pineal foramen located at
the posterior end of the skull roof; an interparietal that has a pair of
anterior processes that extend onto the dorsal surface of the skull,
flanking the pineal foramen (but otherwise is restricted to the occipital
surface); an undivided nuchal crest; and a trough on the ventral surface of
the mid‐ventral vomerine plate. Phylogenetic analysis reconstructs
Kembawacela as a basal cistecephalid and confirms that Cistecephalidae is a
well‐supported clade. However, relationships within the clade received low
branch support. Increased knowledge of cistecephalid diversity shows that
they vary in functionally relevant characters, such as degree of inflation
of the bony vestibule and the morphology of the scapula and humerus,
indicating the need for a more nuanced approach to the relationship between
form, function and ecology in the clade. The highly allopatric distribution
of cistecephalid species suggests that they experienced strong
interspecific competition for limited resources and had limited dispersal
ability, similar to extant subterranean mammals.

<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.avg.com_email-2Dsignature-3Futm-5Fmedium-3Demail-26utm-5Fsource-3Dlink-26utm-5Fcampaign-3Dsig-2Demail-26utm-5Fcontent-3Dwebmail&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=HIl03Kx-Bag2jJY2gb3YA82d42Gu-Uw0Vnv8y6Kuoj0&s=yBJIE8lCzzKHBtG58cJCCFTkWZnd3BS1uUfdQjZu01c&e= >
Virus-free.
www.avg.com
<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.avg.com_email-2Dsignature-3Futm-5Fmedium-3Demail-26utm-5Fsource-3Dlink-26utm-5Fcampaign-3Dsig-2Demail-26utm-5Fcontent-3Dwebmail&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=Ry_mO4IFaUmGof_Yl9MyZgecRCKHn5g4z1CYJgFW9SI&m=HIl03Kx-Bag2jJY2gb3YA82d42Gu-Uw0Vnv8y6Kuoj0&s=yBJIE8lCzzKHBtG58cJCCFTkWZnd3BS1uUfdQjZu01c&e= >
<#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>