Pumiliopareia
Temporal range: Changhsingian,
Life restoration of Pumiliopareia pricei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Procolophonomorpha
Family:
†Pareiasauridae
(unranked):
†Pumiliopareiasauria
Genus:
Pumiliopareia

Broom and Robinson, 1948
Type species
†Nanoparia pricei
Broom and Robinson, 1948
Synonyms
  • Nanoparia pricei Broom and Robinson, 1948
  • Pareiasaurus pricei Broom and Robinson, 1948

Pumiliopareia is an extinct genus of pareiasaurid parareptile from the Permian period of South Africa. It is known from a complete skeleton with osteoderms.

Description

Pumiliopareia was about 50 cm (19.6 in) in length with a 12 cm (4.7 in) skull. It is the smallest known member of the pareiasaurs, measuring only a fifth as long as some of its larger relatives. Like Anthodon, its body was entirely covered with osteoderms. In analyses that support a pareiasaur origin of turtles, the sister taxon of the testudines. However it specifically shares with turtles a single trait only: Ribs greatly expanded anteroposteriorly (i.e. wide).

Classification

Originally included under the genus Nanoparia,[1] it was given its own name by Lee 1997 who found it did not form a clade with Nanoparia luckhoffi, the type species of that genus, and preferred to have monophyletic genera.[2] Nanoparia may still be a paraphyletic genus, which is allowed in Linanean binomial taxonomy, or it may be that all three pumiliopareiasaurs are similar enough to belong to single genus.

References

  1. ↑ Broom, R.; Robinson, J.T. (1948). "Two new cotylosaurian reptiles". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 21 (1): 51–54.
  2. ↑ Lee, M.S.Y. (1997). "A taxonomic revision of pareiasaurian reptiles: implications for Permian terrestrial ecology". Modern Geology. 21: 231–298.


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