{{Short description|Extinct genus of reptiles}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = Late Triassic, {{Fossil range|237|227}} | image = Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie and Paläontologie (1912) (14793017033).jpg | taxon = Brachyrhinodon | authority = Huene, 1910 | type_species = ''Brachyrhinodon taylori'' | type_species_authority = Huene, 1910 }}
'''''Brachyrhinodon''''' (meaning "short nose tooth") is an extinct genus of sphenodontian from the Late Triassic Lossiemouth Sandstone of Scotland.
== History of discovery == ''Brachyrhinodon'' and its single species ''B. taylori'' originally described in 1910 by German paleontologist Friedrich von Huene based on three specimens found near Elgin, Scotland where a number of reptile fossils (collectively dubbed the "Elgin Reptiles") have been found. The species was later redescribed in 1989 based on 12 specimens, representing at least 10 individuals. The specimens are largely preserved as negative moulds within the sandstone, which meant that casts needed to be made for description.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Fraser |first=N. C. |last2=Benton |first2=M. J. |date=August 1989 |title=The Triassic reptiles Brachyrhinodon and Polysphenodon and the relationships of the sphenodontids |url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1989.tb02521.x |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |language=en |volume=96 |issue=4 |pages=413–445 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1989.tb02521.x|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
== Description == left|thumb|Skull diagram in side-on and top-down views ''Brachyrhinodon'' is known from remains covering most of the skeleton. The skull of ''Brachyrhinodon'' is around {{Convert|2.5|cm|in}} long. The skull is relatively blunt. The front of the upper jaw overhangs the front of the lower jaw. The teeth are conical. The postcranial skeleton is similar to that of other sphenodontians.<ref name=":0" />
== Taxonomy == ''Brachyrhinodon'' is considered to be a member of Eusphenodontia. Some studies have recovered it as closely related to ''Clevosaurus,'' placing both genera as part of the family Clevosauridae,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Herrera-Flores |first=Jorge A. |last2=Stubbs |first2=Thomas L. |last3=Elsler |first3=Armin |last4=Benton |first4=Michael J. |date=2018-04-06 |title=Taxonomic reassessment of Clevosaurus latidens Fraser, 1993 (Lepidosauria, Rhynchocephalia) and rhynchocephalian phylogeny based on parsimony and Bayesian inference |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022336017001366/type/journal_article |journal=Journal of Paleontology |language=en |volume=92 |issue=4 |pages=734–742 |doi=10.1017/jpa.2017.136 |issn=0022-3360|doi-access=free |hdl=1983/59126b60-16d8-46d2-b657-954693a39d4e |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Chambi-Trowell |first=Sofia A. V. |last2=Martinelli |first2=Agustín G. |last3=Whiteside |first3=David I. |last4=Vivar |first4=Paulo R. Romo de |last5=Soares |first5=Marina Bento |last6=Schultz |first6=Cesar L. |last7=Gill |first7=Pamela G. |last8=Benton |first8=Michael J. |last9=Rayfield |first9=Emily J. |date=2021-06-03 |title=The diversity of Triassic South American sphenodontians: a new basal form, clevosaurs, and a revision of rhynchocephalian phylogeny |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2021.1976292 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |language=en |volume=19 |issue=11 |pages=787–820 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2021.1976292 |issn=1477-2019|hdl=1983/af14affc-a26e-426b-83ca-e1833e355882 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> with some studies finding ''B. taylori'' nested within ''Clevosaurus''.<ref name=":1" /> Other studies have recovered ''Brachyrhinodon'' as unrelated to ''Clevosaurus''.<ref name=":14">{{Cite journal |last1=DeMar |first1=David G. |last2=Jones |first2=Marc E. H. |last3=Carrano |first3=Matthew T. |date=2022-12-31 |title=A nearly complete skeleton of a new eusphenodontian from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA, provides insight into the evolution and diversity of Rhynchocephalia (Reptilia: Lepidosauria) |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2022.2093139 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |language=en |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=1–64 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2022.2093139 |issn=1477-2019 |s2cid=252325953 |hdl-access=free |hdl=2440/136608}}</ref>
== Ecology == A 1985 paper suggested an omnivorous diet.<ref>M.J. Benton, A.D. Walker [https://www.palass.org/publications/palaeontology-journal/archive/28/2/article_pp207-234 Palaeoecology, taphonomy and dating of Permo-Triassic reptiles from Elgin, north-east Scotland] ''Palaeontology'', 28 (1985), pp. 207-234</ref>thumb|Life restoration
==References== {{Reflist}}{{Portal|Paleontology}}{{Sphenodontia}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q2346034}}
Category:Triassic lepidosaurs Category:Triassic reptiles of Europe Category:Rhynchocephalia Category:Prehistoric reptile genera
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