Lydekkerina, Parrington, 1948

‘ LYDEKKERINA KITCHINGI’ BROOM, 1950

Holotype: BP/1/214, complete skull slightly dorso-ventrally compressed without mandible associated.

Type locality and horizon: Farm Ringsfontein in Murraysburg District (Western Cape Province, South Africa) from the Dicynodon Assemblage Zone

(= ‘ Daptocephalus zone’ Kitching, 1978), Lopingian ( Rubidge et al., 2013).

Referred specimens: BP/1/215, skull with mandible in articulation, somewhat laterally distorted with the surface of the bones eroded, probably due to over-preparation.

Remarks: Broom originally described the specimen as a new species of the recently described Lydekkerina Parrington, 1948 , because of its similar shape, size and also stratigraphic provenance, the ‘ Lystrosaurus Beds’ ( Broom, 1950: 251). Kitching (1978) was the first to suggest that L. kitchingi might be a rhinesuchid because it was collected, instead, in the Permian ‘ Daptocephalus zone’ rather than Early Triassic beds. Furthermore, Kitching suggested that Muchocephalus muchos Watson, 1962, which was found in close association, might be the adult and L. kitchingi the juvenile of the same taxon ( Kitching, 1978: 102); he also referred an additional ‘92 skulls with associated skeletal remains’ collected from the same stratigraphic horizon on the adjacent Farm Beeldhouersfontein ( Kitching, 1978: 102). Kitching (1978) mentioned a paratype specimen that was also collected from Ringsfontein, but did not provide a specimen number, although Broom (1950) did not designate a paratype. Damiani & Rubidge (2003: 29) considered both Muchocephalus muchos and L. kitchingi junior synonyms of L. watsoni Haughton. In contrast, Schoch & Milner (2000: 70) created the new combination Muchocephalus kitchingi to include both type specimens.

Status: Lydekkerina kitchingi Broom is based on a poorly preserved small juvenile specimen; therefore, we considered the species as a nomen dubium and the specimen a Rhinesuchidae indet. due to the unique structure of the paraoccipital process in the clade (see Discussion).