A new genus of dicynodont from Poland

Dicynodonts were herbivorous synapsids – representatives of the tetrapod group encompassing mammals, their ancestors and relatives, but not reptiles. The dicynodonts achieved an evolutionary success in the Permian and although the extinction at the Permian–Triassic transition severely impoverished their diversity, they recovered during the Triassic. The paper presents a new genus and species of a Late Triassic dicynodont from Poland and Germany, Woznikella triradiata, and discusses the geographic and temporal distribution of dicynodonts in the Triassic. The results highlight the key role of the southeastern part of Africa as a source of numerous westward and northward expansions of various dicynodont groups.

Figure: Woznikella triradiata, skull reconstruction in lateral view.