Tapinocephalus: Research Database
Theropoda · Cretaceous · Unknown
Research Note: Tapinocephalus was a theropoda from the Cretaceous of Unknown, providing important data on prehistoric life and ecosystem dynamics.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Rubidge 2020: Tapinocephalus and related taxa South African Journal of Geology | Confirmed | A | 2020 | Fossil | Day Rubidge, South African Journal of Geology | Taxonomy |
Boonstra 1954: Tapinocephalus and related taxa Annals and Magazine of Natural History | Confirmed | C | 1954 | Fossil | Boonstra, Annals and Magazine of Natural History | Taxonomy |
What We Still Do Not Know About Tapinocephalus
- Complete skeletal morphology and ecological role.
- Phylogenetic relationships within Theropoda.
- Distribution and evolutionary history.
In Depth
Fossils of the dinocephalian genus Tapinocephalus are fairly common within the Lower Beaufort Beds, that the location where fossils of the genus are known is actually called the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone. Tapinocephalus seems to have been a successful genus of Tapinocephalus given the large number of remains, and superficially the genus resembles Moschops. In fact Moschops is known from the same formation as Tapinocephalus. Other dinocephalians from the same location as Tapinocephalus include Titanosuchus, Styracocephalus, Jonkeria and Anteosaurus amongst many others. Other kinds of animals include the biarmosuchians Hipposaurus and Bullacephalus, the gorgonosid Eoarctops, and the parareptile Eunotosaurus.
Further Reading
- Evidences of Theriodonts in Permian Deposits elsewhere than in South Africa. - Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, v. 32, p. 352-363. Richard Owen - 1876. - The skull of Tapinocephalus and its near relatives. - Annals of the South African Museum, 43 Part 3 pp. 137-169, 17 figs, plate 4. - L. D. Boonstra - 1956.
