The craniomandibular anatomy of the early archosauriform Euparkeria capensis and the dawn of the archosaur skull.

ABSTRACT: Archosauria (birds, crocodilians and their extinct relatives) form a major part of terrestrial ecosystems today, with over 10 000 living species, and came to dominate the land for most of the Mesozoic (over 150 Myr) after radiating following the Permian-Triassic extinction. The archosaur skull has been essential to this diversification, itself diversified into myriad forms. The archosauriform Euparkeria capensis from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of South Africa has been of great interest since its initial description in 1913, because its anatomy shed light on the origins and early evolution of crown Archosauria and potentially approached that of the archosaur common ancestor. Euparkeria has been widely used as an outgroup in phylogenetic analyses and when investigating patte

SUBMITTER: Sookias RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7428278 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature