# Procolophonidae

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Procolophonidae
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Procolophonidae.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procolophonidae
> Source revision: 1355283945
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Extinct family of reptiles

Procolophonidae Temporal range: Late Permian–Late Triassic PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Skeleton (top) and life restoration (bottom) of Kapes bentoni (Procolophoninae) scale bar = 1cm Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Superfamily: †Procolophonoidea Family: †Procolophonidae Seeley, 1888 Subgroups and Genera †Coletta †Gomphiosauridion? †Kinelia? †Kitchingnathus †Lasasaurus †Oryporan †Phaanthosaurus †Pintosaurus †Sauropareion †Sauropia? †Smilodonterpeton †Sphenosaurus †Suchonosaurus †Spondylolestes? †Tichvinskia †Xenodiphyodon? †Youngetta †Leptopleuroninae †Procolophoninae †Theledectinae Synonyms Sclerosauridae Nopcsa, 1923[1][2]

Skull of *[Kapes bentoni](/source/Kapes_bentoni)*

**Procolophonidae** is an [extinct](/source/Extinction) [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) of small, lizard-like [procolophonian](/source/Procolophonia) "[parareptiles](/source/Parareptile)" known from the [Late Permian](/source/Late_Permian) to [Late Triassic](/source/Late_Triassic) that were distributed across [Pangaea](/source/Pangaea), having been reported from Europe, North America, China, South Africa, South America, [Antarctica](/source/Antarctica), and Australia.

## Ecology

The most primitive procolophonids were likely [insectivorous](/source/Insectivore) or [omnivorous](/source/Omnivore), while more [derived](/source/Derived_(phylogenetics)) members of the [clade](/source/Clade) developed [bicusped](/source/Cusp_(anatomy)) [molars](/source/Molar_(tooth)), likely either [herbivores](/source/Herbivore) feeding on high fiber vegetation or [durophagous](/source/Durophagy) omnivores.[3] Many members of the group are noted for spines projecting from the [quadratojugal bone](/source/Quadratojugal_bone) of the skull, which likely served a defensive purpose as well as possibly also for display.[4] At least some taxa were likely [fossorial](/source/Fossorial) burrowers.[5]

## Evolution

Procolophonids radiated in the aftermath of the [Permian-Triassic extinction event](/source/Permian-Triassic_extinction_event), adapting to changes in the availability of different food resources.[6] While diverse during the [Early](/source/Early_Triassic) and [Middle Triassic](/source/Middle_Triassic), they had very low diversity during the Late Triassic, and were extinct by the beginning of the [Jurassic](/source/Jurassic).[7]

## Phylogeny

The family is defined as all taxa more closely related to *[Procolophon trigoniceps](/source/Procolophon_trigoniceps)* than to *[Owenetta rubidgei](/source/Owenetta_rubidgei)*.[1] Below is a [cladogram](/source/Cladogram) from Ruta *et al.* (2011):[8]

Procolophonidae Coletta seca Pintosaurus magnidentis Sauropareion anoplus Kitchingnathus untabeni Phaanthosaurus ignatjevi Phaanthosaurus simus Theledectinae Eumetabolodon dongshengensis Theledectes perforatus Tichvinskia vjatkensis Leptopleuroninae Pentaedrusaurus ordosianus Neoprocolophon asiaticus Sclerosaurus armatus Scoloparia glyphanodon Leptopleuron lacertinum Soturnia caliodon Hypsognathus fenneri Procolophoninae Eumetabolodon bathycephalus Procolophon trigoniceps Teratophon spinigenis Thelerpeton oppressus Timanophon raridentatus Thelephon contritus Anomoiodon liliensterni Kapes amaenus Kapes bentoni Kapes komiensis Kapes majmesculae

Below are three cladograms that follow [phylogenetic analyses](/source/Phylogenetic_analyses) by Butler *et al*. (2023). **Analysis 1:** Strict consensus of 760 [most parsimonious trees](/source/Maximum_parsimony_(phylogenetics)) (MPTs):[9]

Procolophonidae Eomurruna Procolina Anomoiodon Lasasaurus Kitchingnathus Phonodus Thelephon Kapes bentoni Kapes majmesculae Timanophon Tichvinskia Theledectes Eumetabolodon dongshengensis Phaantosaurus (sic) Sauropareion Pintosaurus Coletta Eumetabolodon bathycephalus Procolophoninae Teratophon Thelerpeton Procolophon Leptopleuroninae Neoprocolophon Pentaedrusaurus Mandaphon Scoloparia Sclerosaurus Hwiccewyrm Hypsognathus Soturnia Leptopleuron

**Analysis 2:** Single MPT:[9]

Procolophonidae Coletta Lasasaurus Sauropareion Kitchingnathus Pintosaurus Phaantosaurus (sic) Eomurruna Eumetabolodon dongshengensis Timanophon Tichvinskia Procolophoninae Eumetabolodon bathycephalus Thelerpeton Teratophon Procolophon Leptopleuroninae Kapes bentoni Thelephon Kapes majmesculae Pentaedrusaurus Anomoiodon Theledectes Procolina Phonodus Mandaphon Neoprocolophon Scoloparia Sclerosaurus Hwiccewyrm Leptopleuron Hypsognathus Soturnia

**Analysis 3:** Strict consensus of 18 MPTs:[9]

Procolophonidae Coletta Sauropareion Kitchingnathus Phaantosaurus (sic) Eumetabolodon dongshengensis Eomurruna Theledectes Procolina Phonodus Lasasaurus Anomoiodon Thelephon Kapes bentoni Kapes majmesculae Timanophon Tichvinskia Eumetabolodon bathycephalus Procolophoninae Teratophon Thelerpeton Procolophon Leptopleuroninae Neoprocolophon Pentaedrusaurus Mandaphon Scoloparia Sclerosaurus Hwiccewyrm Hypsognathus Soturnia Leptopleuron

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CJC08_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CJC08_1-1) Cisneros, J. C. (2008). "Phylogenetic relationships of procolophonid parareptiles with remarks on their geological record". *Journal of Systematic Palaeontology*. **6** (3): 345–366. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2008JSPal...6..345C](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008JSPal...6..345C). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S1477201907002350](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS1477201907002350). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [84468714](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:84468714).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Sclerosaurus08_2-0)** Hans-Dieter Sues and Robert R. Reisz (2008). "Anatomy and Phylogenetic Relationships of *Sclerosaurus armatus* (Amniota: Parareptilia) from the Buntsandstein (Triassic) of Europe". *Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology*. **28** (4): 1031–1042. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2008JVPal..28.1031S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008JVPal..28.1031S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1671/0272-4634-28.4.1031](https://doi.org/10.1671%2F0272-4634-28.4.1031). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [53967912](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:53967912).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Pinheiro, Felipe L.; Silva-Neves, Eduardo; Da-Rosa, Átila A. S. (August 2021). Ruta, Marcello (ed.). ["An early-diverging procolophonid from the lowermost Triassic of South America and the origins of herbivory in Procolophonoidea"](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.1355). *[Papers in Palaeontology](/source/Papers_in_Palaeontology)*. **7** (3): 1601–1612. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2021PPal....7.1601P](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021PPal....7.1601P). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/spp2.1355](https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fspp2.1355). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2056-2799](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2056-2799). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [233797716](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:233797716). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210710001355/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.1355) from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Zaher, Marta; Coram, Robert A.; Benton, Michael J. (February 2019). Angielczyk, Kenneth (ed.). ["The Middle Triassic procolophonid Kapes bentoni: computed tomography of the skull and skeleton"](https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fspp2.1232). *[Papers in Palaeontology](/source/Papers_in_Palaeontology)*. **5** (1): 111–138. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2019PPal....5..111Z](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019PPal....5..111Z). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/spp2.1232](https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fspp2.1232). [hdl](/source/Hdl_(identifier)):[1983/3dd2d71d-a439-404a-997f-758063f40678](https://hdl.handle.net/1983%2F3dd2d71d-a439-404a-997f-758063f40678). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [134058607](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:134058607).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Botha-Brink, Jennifer; Smith, Roger Malcolm Harris (September 2012). ["Palaeobiology of Triassic procolophonids, inferred from bone microstructure"](https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1631068312000735). *[Comptes Rendus Palevol](/source/Comptes_Rendus_Palevol)*. **11** (6): 419–433. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2012CRPal..11..419B](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012CRPal..11..419B). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.crpv.2012.03.002](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.crpv.2012.03.002).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Burgardt, Caroline D’Ávila; Pohlmann, Karine; Fabrício Machado, Arielli; Santos, Mateus A. Costa; Meira, João L.; Pinheiro, Felipe L. (12 January 2026). ["A peculiar procolophonid lower jaw from the Sanga do Cabral Formation (Lower Triassic, Brazil)"](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2025.2608698#d1e642). *[Historical Biology](/source/Historical_Biology)*: 1–10. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/08912963.2025.2608698](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F08912963.2025.2608698). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0891-2963](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0891-2963). Retrieved 18 March 2026 – via Taylor and Francis Online.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** MacDougall, Mark J.; Brocklehurst, Neil; Fröbisch, Jörg (20 March 2019). ["Species richness and disparity of parareptiles across the end-Permian mass extinction"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6452079). *[Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences](/source/Proceedings_of_the_Royal_Society_B%3A_Biological_Sciences)*. **286** (1899) 20182572. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1098/rspb.2018.2572](https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frspb.2018.2572). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0962-8452](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0962-8452). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [6452079](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6452079). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [30890099](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30890099).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RCLTM11_8-0)** Ruta, M.; Cisneros, J. C.; Liebrecht, T.; Tsuji, L. A.; Müller, J. (2011). ["Amniotes through major biological crises: Faunal turnover among Parareptiles and the end-Permian mass extinction"](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1475-4983.2011.01051.x). *[Palaeontology](/source/Palaeontology_(journal))*. **54** (5): 1117–1137. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2011Palgy..54.1117R](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011Palgy..54.1117R). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01051.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1475-4983.2011.01051.x). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [83693335](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:83693335).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Butler2023_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Butler2023_9-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Butler2023_9-2) Butler, R. J.; Meade, L. E.; Cleary, T. J.; McWhirter, K. T.; Brown, E. E.; Kemp, T. S.; Benito, J.; Fraser, N. C. (2023). ["*Hwiccewyrm trispiculum* gen. et sp. nov., a new leptopleuronine procolophonid from the Late Triassic of southwest England"](https://doi.org/10.1002%2Far.25316). *[The Anatomical Record](/source/The_Anatomical_Record)*. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/ar.25316](https://doi.org/10.1002%2Far.25316). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [37735997](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37735997).

## Sources

- Lambert, David (2001). [*Dinosaur Encyclopedia*](https://archive.org/details/dinosaurencyclop00lamb). New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. [72](https://archive.org/details/dinosaurencyclop00lamb/page/72). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7894-7935-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7894-7935-8).

## External links

- [Introduction to Procolophonoidea](http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/anapsids/procolophonoidea.html)

v t e Procolophonia Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Superclass: Tetrapoda Clade: Amniota Class: Sauropsida Sauropsida see Sauropsida Procolophonia see below↓ Procolophonia Nyctiphruretidae? Abyssomedon Nyctiphruretus Pareiasauromorpha Lanthanosuchidae? Chalcosaurus Lanthaniscus? Lanthanosuchus Nycteroleteridae Bashkyroleter Emeroleter Macroleter Nycteroleter Rhipaeosaurus Pareiasauria Bradysaurus Bunostegos Deltavjatia Embrithosaurus Nochelesaurus Parasaurus Senectosaurus Yinshanosaurus Pumiliopareiasauria Anthodon Nanoparia Provelosaurus Pumiliopareia Therischia Arganaceras Elginia Obirkovia Pareiasaurus Sanchuansaurus Scutosaurus Shihtienfenia Procolophonoidea Owenettidae Barasaurus Candelaria Owenetta Ruhuhuaria Saurodektes Procolophonidae Coartaredens? Coletta Eomurruna Gomphiosauridion? Kinelia? Kitchingnathus Lasasaurus Oryporan Phaanthosaurus Pintosaurus Sauropareion Sauropia? Smilodonterpeton Sphenosaurus Spondylolestes? Suchonosaurus Theledectes Tichvinskia Tricuspisaurus? Xenodiphyodon? Youngetta Leptopleuroninae Basileosaurus? Cornualbus Hwiccewyrm Hypsognathus Koiloskiosaurus Leptopleuron Libognathus Mandaphon Neoprocolophon Pentaedrusaurus Phonodus Sclerosaurus Scoloparia Soturnia Threordatoth Procolophoninae Anomoiodon Burtensia Eumetabolodon Insulophon? Kapes Lestanshoria? Orenburgia Procolina Procolophon Samaria? Teratophon Thelephon Thelerpeton Timanophon

Taxon identifiers Procolophonidae Wikidata: Q133347 Wikispecies: Procolophonidae EoL: 4530583 GBIF: 3238968 IRMNG: 115634 Open Tree of Life: 4946157 Paleobiology Database: 37522

This article about a prehistoric reptile is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

- [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Paleo-reptile-stub)
- [t](/source/Template_talk%3APaleo-reptile-stub)
- [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Paleo-reptile-stub)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Procolophonidae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procolophonidae) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procolophonidae?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.