| Burnetia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification |
Description[]
Burnetia is an extinct genus of biarmosuchian therapsid from the Late Permian of what’s now South Africa. It was described in 1923 by South African paleontologist Robert Broom. Its skull is broad with well-developed cheek bosses and pits that resembled Pareiasaurians. The overall shape resembles a triangle in the nasals, there are bulging expansion of bones. Unlike Proburnetia’s median landslide bridge being long and narrow. Burnetia’s palate is similar to Gorgonopsian’s. Anterior you, the internal nares have lower canines.In Burnetia, their basisphenoid is round and shallow. In the middle of the basisphenoid, it is separated by a groove. Gorgonopsians’ basisphenoid contrasts Burnetia’s by having a “single sharp median keel.
Discovery[]
Robert Broom found Burnetia mirabilisin the Dicynodon Assemblage Zone near Graaff-Reinet, South Africa.Broom concluded that Burnetia was related closest to the group of Gorgonopsians.However Broom made observations based on the skull when it was covered by matrix and no underlying bone was visible.Lieuwe Boonstra removed this matrix and found that Burnetia and Gorgonopsians differed mainly by the thickening of dermal bones, bosses, and their basisphenoids
Taxa Classification[]
The family Burnetiidae came from the discovery of Burnetia, but new discoveries led to the studies of burnetiamorphs. Burnetiamorphs only have about two taxa that represent each genus. It was previously believed that the Burnetiidae clade only contained two taxa, Burnetia mirabilis and Proburnetia viatkensis, but later Pachydectes and Bullacephalus were found to be included in the clade, as well. It was unable to be confirmed if Pachydectesshared the feature of nasal the nasal supporting a middle boss like Burnetia. However, like Burnetia,above the postorbital bar they have a significant boss.