Rubidgeinae
subfamily of mammals (fossil)
Rubidgeinae is an extinct subfamily of gorgonopsid therapsids known only from Africa. They were among the largest gorgonopsians, and their fossils are common in the Cistecephalus and Daptocephalus assemblage zones of the Karoo Basin. They lived during the Late Permian, and became extinct at the near the end of the Permian following a turnover event.
Classification and systematics
Initially, the clade consisted of thirty six nominal species, however the number has been reduced over the recent years, with Kammerer (2016) recovering nine valid species within the clade.
Cladogram recovered by Kammerer (2016).
Description
Rubidgeines were large, quadrupedal carnivores of the family Gorgonopsidae, which was part larger clade Their largest teeth are their upper canines, which were blade-like and had well-developed serrations. Their postcanine teeth were small and conical, but were also frequently serrated. Tooth replacement was rapid relative to basal therocephalians. Rubidgeines can be distinguished from other gorgonopsians by the absence of a blade-like parasphenoid bone and reduced or absent preparietal bone. The jugal bone, while narrow in most gorgonopsians, was often broadly expanded in rubidgeines.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rubidgeinae” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.