Cynognathia

Cynognathia Temporal range: Early Triassic to Late Triassic
Skull of the cynognathian Cynognathus crateronotus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Order:	Therapsida
Suborder:	Cynodontia
Infraorder:	Eucynodontia
(unranked):	†Cynognathia Hopson and Barghusen, 1986
Families
See "Taxonomy"

Cynognathia ("dog jaw") is one of two major clades of cynodonts, the other being Probainognathia. Cynognathians included the large carnivorous genus Cynognathus and the herbivorous traversodontids. Cynognathians can be identified by several synapomorphies including a very deep zygomatic arch that extends above the middle of the orbit. The cynognathians are the longest lived non-mammalian therapsid clade extending from Triassic to the Late Triassic.

Cynognathian fossils are currently known from South America, Antarctica, and South Africa.

Taxonomy

• Suborder Cynodontia
  • Infraorder Eucynodontia
    • (unranked) Cynognathia
      • Family Cynognathidae
        • Cynognathus

See also

• Evolution of mammals
• Mammaliaformes
• Prehistoric mammals