| Chiniquodon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil ofC. theotonicus in theMuseum of Paleontology, Tuebingen | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | Cynodontia |
| Family: | †Chiniquodontidae |
| Genus: | †Chiniquodon von Huene1936 |
| Type species | |
| †Chiniquodon theotonicus | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Chiniquodon is an extinctgenus ofcarnivorouscynodonts, which lived during theLate Triassic (Carnian) inSouth America (Argentina andBrazil) andAfrica (Namibia andMadagascar).Chiniquodon was closely related to the genusAleodon,[1] and close to the ancestry of mammals.
Other contemporaries included earlydinosaurs. As both groups filled a similarecological niche, fairly large therapsid hunters such asChiniquodon may have been outcompeted by dinosaurs.
Chiniquodon theotonicus, thetype species, is from theSanta Maria Formation, Brazil andChañares Formation, Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin, northwestern Argentina. This species is known from a number of skulls. Theholotype is in the paleontological collection atTübingen University,Germany.
Chiniquodon kitchingi, from the Santa Maria Formation of Brazil, was described in 1982 by A. M. Sá-Teixeira based on a single skull missing the lower jaw. When first described, it was assigned to the genusProbelesodon, but was reassigned toChiniquodon in a 1995 paper by Fernando Abdala, as the type species ofProbelesodon (P. lewisi) was found to be ajunior synonym ofC. theotonicus.[2] A 2002 paper by Abdala and Norberto P. Giannini went even further by synonymisingC. kitchingi withC. theotonicus.[2] In 2023 the type material ofC. kitchingi was redescribed by Hoffmannet al., who found it to be a valid species ofChiniquodon.[3]
Chiniquodon sanjuanensis[4] is from the Cancha de Bochas Member of theIschigualasto Formation,Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin, northwesternArgentina. It was originally assigned to the genusProbelesodon, but was reassigned toChiniquodon in 2002.[2] It is differentiated fromC. theotonicus because of itsteeth and the shape of thezygomatic process.
Chiniquodon kalanoro[5] is from theIsalo II Formation,Madagascar. This species is known from amandible (holotype UA 10607).
Chiniquodon omaruruensis[6] is from theOmingonde Formation of Namibia. It is known from a single specimen (GSN F315), consisting of a complete skull and parts of the postcranial skeleton.
