Epicynodontia

Epicynodontia Temporal range: Late Permian–Present PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skeleton of Thrinaxodon liorhinus, a basal epicynodont
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Order:	Therapsida
Suborder:	Cynodontia
Clade:	Epicynodontia Hopson and Kitching, 2001
Subgroups
See text.

Epicynodontia is a clade of cynodont therapsids that includes most cynodonts, including galesaurids, thrinaxodontids, and Eucynodontia. It was erected as a stem-based taxon by Hopson and Kitching (2001) and defined as the most inclusive clade containing Mammalia and excluding Procynosuchus, a Late Permian genus that is one of the most basal cynodonts.

Below is a cladogram from Ruta, Botha-Brink, Mitchell and Benton (2013) showing one hypothesis of cynodont relationships:

Cynodontia	Charassognathus Dvinia Procynosuchus Epicynodontia Cynosaurus Galesauridae Galesaurus Progalesaurus Thrinaxodontidae Nanictosaurus Thrinaxodon Platycraniellus Eucynodontia Cynognathia Probainognathia (including mammals)