Tessellatia

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Tessellatia
Temporal range: Late
Ma
Holotype cranium of Tessellatia in various views and interpretations
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Clade: Therapsida
Clade: Cynodontia
Clade: Probainognathia
Genus: Tessellatia
Gaetano et al., 2022
Species:
T. bonapartei
Binomial name
Tessellatia bonapartei
Gaetano et al., 2022

Tessellatia is an extinct genus of

probainognathian cynodont from the Late Triassic Los Colorados Formation of La Rioja, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, T. bonapartei, known from a partial skull.[1]

Discovery and naming

Layers of the 'La Esquina' locality of the Los Colorados Formation where the holotype was discovered

The Tessellatia holotype specimen, PULR-V121, was discovered in upper layers of the Los Colorados Formation in Talampaya National Park in La Rioja Province, Argentina. The specimen consists of a partial skull, including the snout and orbital region, and lower jaws.[1]

In 2022, Gaetano et al. described Tessellatia as a new genus and species of probainognathian cynodont. The

derived features seen in the taxon. The specific name, "bonapartei", honors the Argentine paleontologist José F. Bonaparte, who described the first cynodont fossils from the Los Colorados Formation.[1]

References