Name:
Ctenorhachis
(comb spine).
Phonetic: Sten-o-rak-is.
Named By: R. W. Hook & N. Hotton
- 1991.
Classification: Chordata, Synapsida,
Sphenacodontidae.
Species: C. jacksoni (type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Uncertain due to lack of remains.
Known locations: USA, Texas - Wichita Group.
Time period: Early Permian.
Fossil representation: Partial post cranial
remains, including vertebrae and pelvis.
Ctenorhachis is a genus of sphenacodont that lived in North America during the Permian. Although the skull of Ctenorhachis is unknown, the available fossil material for the genus show that Ctenorhachis was a sphenacodontid. So far all members of the Sphenacodontidae were predators in life, so by extension we can conclude that Ctenorhachis would have been a predator as well.
Further reading
- A New Sphenacodontid Pelycosaur (Synapsida) from the Wichita
Group, Lower Permian of North-Central Texas. - Journal of
Vertebrate Paleontology 11(1):37-44. - R. W. Hook
& N. Hotton - 1991.