The Paleobiology Database

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Relationships
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	Map	Age range and collections

Mastodonsauridae

Taxonomy

Mastodonsauridae was named by Lydekker (1885). Its type is Mastodonsaurus. It was considered monophyletic by Damiani (2001).

It was assigned to Capitosauroidea by Carroll (1988) and Schoch (1999); to Mastodonsauroidea by Damiani (2001); and to Stereospondyli by Damiani and Rubidge (2003).

Subtaxa

Archotosaurus (syn. Parotosaurus), Bulgosuchus, Cherninia, Heptasaurus, Jammerbergia, Kestrosaurus (syn. Karoosuchus), Komatosuchus, Promastodonsaurus, Rhadalognathus, Stenotosaurus, Subcyclotosaurus, Tatrasuchus (syn. Kupferzellia), Volgasaurus, Volgasuchus, Wellesaurus, Xenotosuchus

Sister taxa

Benthosuchidae, Cyclotosauridae, Deltacephalidae, Eryosuchidae, Heylerosauridae (syn. Eocyclotosauridae, Rhadalognathus boweni, Wellesaurus bussoni), Paracyclotosauridae, Parotosuchidae

Download authority and opinion data - View classification of included taxa

Synonyms

Capitosaurus arenaceus was named by Münster (1836). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Benk bei Bayreuth, which is in a Ladinian/Carnian terrestrial sandstone in the Benkersandstein Formation of Germany.

It was recombined as Labyrinthodon arenaceus by Owen (1861); it was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965) and Paton (1976); it was considered a nomen dubium by Schoch and Milner (2000) and Damiani (2001).
Labyrinthodon lavisi was named by Seeley (1876). Its type specimen is BMNH R.4215, a mandible (posterior right mandible), and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was recombined as Mastodonsaurus lavisi by Paton (1974); it was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965); it was considered a nomen dubium by Schoch (1999) and Damiani (2001).
Odontosaurus voltzii was named by Meyer (1835).

It was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965).
Xestorrhytias perrini was named by Meyer (1855).

It was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965).
Stanocephalosaurus birdi was named by Brown (1933). Its type specimen is AMNH 3029, a partial skull (Natural mold of palate and impression of part of pterygoid region of skull), and it is an impression. Its type locality is Highway 87, mile marker 333, SW Winslow, which is in a Spathian terrestrial sandstone in the Moenkopi Formation of Arizona.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Damiani (2001).
Mastodonsaurus vaslenensis was named by Meyer (1855).

It was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965); it was considered a nomen dubium by Damiani (2001).
Diadetognathus was named by Miall (1874).

It was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965).
Diadetognathus varvicensis was named by Miall (1874).

It was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965).
Capitosaurus polaris was named by Wiman (1914). Its type specimen is PIU U.120, a partial skull (Skull roof fragment), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is NW side of Mt Congress (Mt. Middelhook), which is in a Triassic terrestrial sandstone in the Svalbard Formation of Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

It was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965); it was considered a nomen dubium by Schoch and Milner (2000) and Damiani (2001).
Parotosuchus dirus was named by Chernin (1978). Its type specimen is SAM-PK-K434, a mandible (Fragments of lower jaw), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Aliwal North Area, which is in a Spathian/Anisian terrestrial horizon in the Burgersdorp Formation of South Africa.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Damiani (2001) and Damiani and Rubidge (2003).
Capitosaurus bogdoanus was named by Woodward (1932). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Damiani (2001).
Capitosauridae was named by Watson (1919). It is not extant. It is the type family of Capitosauroidea.

It was synonymized objectively with Mastodonsauridae by Damiani (2001).

It was assigned to Stereospondyli by Watson (1919); to Stereospondyli by Haughton (1925); and to Capitosauroidea by Warren and Hutchinson (1988), Carroll (1988), Yates and Warren (2000), Shishkin et al. (2004) and Sulej and Niedźwiedzki (2011).
Cyclotosaurus spitzbergensis was named by Wiman (1914). Its type specimen is PIU U.82, a partial skull (Anterior palate), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Mt. Andersson, which is in a Smithian marine shale in the Kongressfjellet Formation of Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

It was recombined as Sassenisaurus spitzbergensis by Nilsson (1942) and Schoch and Milner (2000); it was considered a nomen vanum by Watson (1958) and Welles and Cosgriff (1965); it was considered a nomen dubium by Damiani (2001).
Odontosaurus was named by Meyer (1835).

It was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965).

It was assigned to Labyrinthodontes by Meyer (1845); and to Labyrinthodontia by Owen (1861).
Xestorrhytias was named by Meyer (1842).

It was considered a nomen vanum by Welles and Cosgriff (1965).

It was assigned to Labyrinthodontes by Meyer (1845); and to Labyrinthodontia by Owen (1861).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1835	Odontosaurus Meyer
1835	Odontosaurus voltzii Meyer
1836	Capitosaurus arenaceus Münster
1842	Xestorrhytias Meyer
1845	Odontosaurus Meyer p. 282
1845	Xestorrhytias Meyer p. 282
1855	Mastodonsaurus vaslenensis Meyer
1855	Xestorrhytias perrini Meyer
1861	Labyrinthodon arenaceus Owen p. 216
1861	Odontosaurus Owen p. 216
1861	Odontosaurus voltzii Owen p. 216
1861	Xestorrhytias Owen p. 217
1861	Xestorrhytias perrini Owen p. 217
1874	Diadetognathus Miall
1874	Diadetognathus varvicensis Miall
1876	Labyrinthodon lavisi Seeley
1885	Mastodonsauridae Lydekker
1914	Capitosaurus polaris Wiman
1914	Cyclotosaurus spitzbergensis Wiman p. 22 figs. Pl. 9
1919	Capitosauridae Watson p. 67
1925	Capitosauridae Haughton p. 238
1932	Capitosaurus bogdoanus Woodward
1933	Stanocephalosaurus birdi Brown p. 1
1942	Sassenisaurus spitzbergensis Nilsson p. 93
1974	Mastodonsaurus lavisi Paton
1978	Parotosuchus dirus Chernin
1988	Capitosauridae Carroll
1988	Mastodonsauridae Carroll
1988	Capitosauridae Warren and Hutchinson p. 860
1999	Mastodonsauridae Schoch
2000	Sassenisaurus spitzbergensis Schoch and Milner p. 102
2000	Stanocephalosaurus birdi Schoch and Milner p. 146
2000	Capitosauridae Yates and Warren pp. 84, 97 fig. 1
2001	Mastodonsauridae Damiani pp. 398, 460 fig. 35
2003	Mastodonsauridae Damiani and Rubidge p. 26
2004	Capitosauridae Shishkin et al. p. 125
2011	Capitosauridae Sulej and Niedźwiedzki

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data