Brithopus

This article is about the non-mammalian therapsid genus. For the diverse group of prehistoric reptiles, see Dinosaur. For the 1960 science fiction film, see Dinosaurus!.

Brithopus Temporal range: Middle Permian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Synapsida
Order:	Therapsida
Suborder:	†Dinocephalia
Family:	†Brithopodidae Efremov, 1954
Genus:	†Brithopus Kutorga, 1838
Type species
†B. priscus Kutorga, 1838
Synonyms
Rhopalodon murchisoni Fischer, 1845 Dinosaurus murchisoni (Fischer, 1845) [originally Rhopalodon]

Brithopus is an extinct genus of dinocephalian therapsid. It was first named in 1838 and was traditionally classified in the Anteosauria, a group of carnivorous dinocephalians. In fact, Brithopus served as the basis for the family Brithopodidae, which once included many anteosaurian species. Because it is based on fragmentary, non-diagnostic material, Brithopus is now regarded as a nomen dubium, and the sole member of Brithopodidae. Brithopus may even be more closely related to herbivorous tapinocephalids than to anteosaurians.

Dinosaurus

Dinosaurus, a junior synonym of Brithopus, was first described in 1845 by Johann Fischer von Waldheim, first as a species of Rhopalodon (R. murchisoni), and assigned to its own genus by Fischer in 1847.

The name "Dinosaurus" was later used by Ludwig Rütimeyer (1856) for a dubious genus of prosauropod dinosaur, which he named Dinosaurus gresslyi. However, the name was found to be preoccupied by the therapsid. The prosauropod was re-named Gresslyosaurus ingens, and is now considered a junior synonym of Plateosaurus.

External links

• Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List briefly detailing the history of the name

See also

• List of synapsids