Moschops [1] ( lat. Moschops ) - the most famous representative of tapinocephals . Described by Robert Brum in 1911 . He lived in the Middle Perm . Known from the lower horizons of the Tapinocephalus zone of South Africa [2] .
| † Moschops |
Moschops capensis |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Suborder : | † Deinacephalus |
| Infrastructure : | † Tapinocephals |
| Superfamily : | † Tapinocephaloidea |
| Family: | † Tapinocephalidae |
|
| International scientific name |
|---|
Moschops Broom , 1911 |
|
Skeleton
Moschops capensis
Moschops capensis ,
American Museum of Natural History , New York
Large (up to 3, and possibly up to 5 [2] meters long) tapinocephalids with a short, heavy skull . There is a common pachyostosis common for tapinocephals - thickening of the frontotoparietal region. The preorbital region is narrow, occupying about half the length of the skull. The parietal opening is not elevated above the level of the skull. The temporal arch is massive, thick. Temporal cavities small. The eye sockets are also small. The nape is straight or slightly concave, with massive lateral ridges. The openers are wide, convex, short. The choana area is shallow. The lower jaw is short and very high, with a powerful symphysis. 13-15 teeth of the upper jaw, up to 16 - the lower. The first 5-6 incisors are very powerful, with well-developed heels and lingual crests. Cheek teeth with sharp cutting edges flattened laterally. Fangs are not pronounced. The postcranial skeleton is relatively light.
Type species - M. capensis . The remains were found by Dr. Robert Broome in 1910 at the Spitzkop farm near Leinesburg in South Africa. Together, several complete skeletons were found. The length of the skull is about 32 cm, the total length is about 2.5 meters. A detailed description of the skeleton was made by W. Gregory in 1926 . The skeleton is often depicted in the literature.
In addition to M. capensis , M. koupensis is known from the remains of good preservation (it is possible that in reality it is individuals of the same species, but of a different sex). Two more species (also doubtful) are described: M. whaitsi and M. oweni . All of them were found in the same deposits [2] .
It is assumed that Delphinognathus conocephalus and Avenantia kruuvleieusis , in which pachiostosis was less pronounced, may be young Moschops specimens [2] .
Synonyms of the genus - Pnigalion, Moschoides, Agnosaurus, Moschognathus [2] . The abundance of synonyms is associated with finding individuals of various ages and sizes (sex differences may have also occurred). The Ulemosaurus from the coeval Isheevsky fauna in Tatarstan was previously considered a species of this genus, but is now recognized as much more primitive.
Like all tapinocephals, moschops could only eat soft plant foods that were crushed by their front teeth. The use of front teeth for food processing is associated with the absence of a secondary palate. It is possible that the basis of the nutrition of these animals was rotting trunks of calamites.
