{{Short description|Extinct superfamily of reptiles}} {{Automatic taxobox | taxon = Procolophonoidea | name = Procolophonoids | fossil_range = {{fossilrange|265|201.3}} <small>Middle Wordian - Late Rhaetian</small> | image = Kapes_full_skeleton.jpg | image_caption = Skeleton of ''Kapes bentoni'' (Procolophonidae, Procolophoninae) | authority = Broom, 1939 | subdivision_ranks = Families | subdivision = *{{extinct}}'''Owenettidae''' *{{extinct}}'''Procolophonidae''' | synonyms = * Procolophoniformes <small>De Braga & Rieppel, 1997</small> }}
'''Procolophonoidea''' is an extinct superfamily of procolophonian parareptiles. Members were characteristically small, stocky, and lizard-like in appearance. Fossils have been found worldwide from many continents including Antarctica.<ref>Colbert, E. H. and Kitching, J. W. (1975). The Triassic reptile ''Procolophon'' in Antarctica. ''American Museum Novitates'' '''2566''':1-23.</ref> The first members appeared during the Late Permian in the Karoo Basin of South Africa.<ref>Broom, R. (1939). A new type of cotylosaurian, ''Owenetta rubidgei''. ''Annals of the Transvaal Museum'' '''19''':319–321.</ref>
==Taxonomy== Procolophonoidea includes the families Owenettidae and Procolophonidae. ''Sclerosaurus'', which is placed within its own family Sclerosauridae, may be a member of the superfamily as well. In 1997, De Braga and Rieppel defined this same taxon (the oldest common ancestor of Procolophonidae and Owenettidae and all its descendants) using the name '''Procolophoniformes'''.<ref name= jalil&janvier2013>Jalil, N. E., & Janvier, P. (2005). Les pareiasaures (Amniota, Parareptilia) du Permien supérieur du Bassin d’Argana, Maroc. Geodiversitas, 27(1), 35-132.</ref>
When the superfamily was constructed in 1956, it was thought to be within the anthracosaur suborder Diadectomorpha.<ref>Romer, A. S. (1956). ''Osteology of the Reptiles''. University of Chicago Press. 772 pp.</ref> Since then it has been placed within the suborder Procolophonia along with the pareiasaurs, a group of large herbivorous Permian parareptiles.<ref>Daly, E. (1973). A Lower Permian vertebrate fauna from southern Oklahoma. ''Journal of Paleontology'' '''47'''(3):562-589.</ref><ref>Carroll, R. L. (1988). ''Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution''. WH Freeman and Company, New York {{ISBN|0-7167-1822-7}}.</ref><ref>Lee, M. S. Y. (1997). Pareisaur phylogeny and the origin of turtles. ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' '''120'''(3):197-280.</ref><ref>Modesto, S. P. and Damiani, R. (2007). The procolophonoid reptile ''Sauropareion anoplus'' from the lowermost Triassic of South Africa. ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'' '''27'''(2):337-349.</ref> [[Image:Sclerosaurus1DB.jpg|thumb|175px|right|''Sclerosaurus armatus'']] *'''Procolophonia''' **'''Procolophonoidea''' ***'''Family Owenettidae''' ****Species ''"Owenetta" kitchingorum'' ****Genus ''Barasaurus'' ****Genus ''Candelaria'' ****Genus ''Owenetta'' ****Genus ''Ruhuhuaria'' ****Genus ''Saurodektes'' ***'''Family Procolophonidae''' ****? Genus ''Gomphiosauridion'' ****? Genus ''Kinelia'' ****? Genus ''Spondylolestes'' ****? Genus ''Xenodiphyodon'' ****Genus ''Coletta'' ****Genus ''Kitchingnathus'' ****Genus ''Lasasaurus'' ****Genus ''Phaanthosaurus'' ****Genus ''Pintosaurus'' ****Genus ''Sauropareion'' ****Genus ''Tichvinskia'' ****'''Subfamily Leptopleuroninae''' ****'''Subfamily Procolophoninae''' ****'''Subfamily Theledectinae'''
{{Cladogram|title=Cladogram of Procolophonoidea, excluding members of Procolophonidae |caption='''Cisneros ''et al.'' 2004'''<ref>Cisneros, J. C., Damiani, R., Schultz, C., da Rosa, A., Schwanke, C., Neto, L. W. and Aurélio, P. L. P. (2004) A procolophonoid reptile with temporal fenestration from the Middle Triassic of Brazil. ''Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B'' '''271'''(1547):1541–1546.</ref> |clades={{clade| style=font-size:80%;line-height:80% |label1=Procolophonoidea |1={{clade |label1=Owenettidae |1={{clade |label1= |1={{clade |label1= |1=''Barasaurus'' |2={{clade |label1= |1=''Owenetta rubidgei'' |2=''Saurodektes''}} }} |3={{clade |label1= |1=''"Owenetta" kitchingorum'' |2=''Candelaria''}} }} |2={{clade |label1= |1=''Coletta'' |2={{clade |label1= |1=''Sauropareion'' |2=Procolophonidae }} }} }} }} }}
{{Cladogram|title=Cladogram of Procolophonidae |caption='''Modesto'' et al.'' 2001'''<ref>Modesto, S. Sues, H.-D. and Damiani, R. (2001). A new Triassic procolophonoid reptile and its implications for procolophonoid survivorship during the Permo-Triassic extinction event. ''Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B'' '''268'''(2001):2047–2052.</ref> |clades={{clade| style=font-size:80%;line-height:80% |label1=Procolophonidae |1={{clade |label1= |1={{clade |label1= |1=''Contritosaurus'' |2={{clade |label2= |1=''Tichvinskia'' |2={{clade |label3= |1=''Procolophon'' |3={{clade |label4= |1=''Hypsognathus'' }} }} }} }} }} }} }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/anapsids/procolophonoidea.html Introduction to Procolophonoidea] University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) *[https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=37517 Procolophonoidea] in the Paleobiology Database
{{Portal|Paleontology}} {{Parareptilia|Procolophonoidea}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q7247458}}
Category:Procolophonomorpha Category:Prehistoric reptiles of Europe Category:Prehistoric reptiles of Africa Category:Prehistoric reptiles of Asia Category:Prehistoric reptiles of North America Category:Prehistoric reptiles of South America Category:Lopingian first appearances Category:Rhaetian extinctions