Scaphonyx (meaning "canoe claw") is an extinct genus of dubious rhynchosaur from Triassic Brazil. It might have been preyed on by Herrerasaurus and Saurosuchus.
Classification and Validity[]
Scaphonyx is a rhynchosaur of the subfamily of Hyperodapedontinae in the family Rhynchosauridae. The genus was originally used to describe much of the original specimens found in the subfamily, but many species have been found to be their own distinct taxa.
The genus' nature has been often contested as to its validity, causing Scaphonyx to be considered a nomen dubium. Many specimens originally attribited to the genus were reclassified as new genera. The species S. stokleyi was moved to Supradapedon in 1953. Specimens of S. sanjuanensis and S. fischeri were each moved to species of Hyperodapedon in 2000. The species S. sulcognathus was moved to the new genus Teyumbaita in 2010. The remaining species, S. africanus and S. australis, have remained dubious.
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