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ON A NEW SOUTH AFEICAN TEIASSIC EHYNCHO- 



CEPHALIAN. 



By E. Broom, M.D., D.Sc. 



(Eead June 27, 1906.) 



In the collection of Mr. Alfred Brown, of Aliwal North, there is 

 an imperfect lower jaw of a small reptile which is of considerable 

 interest. The fragment represents the greater portion of the left 

 dentary with six acrodont teeth of a slender lizard-like form which 

 strikingly recalls the Jurassic Homceosanrus. As there are, even in 



DENTARY OF PALACRODON BROWNI. X 3A 



the fragment preserved, one or two characters distinctly different 

 from those of Homoeosaurus, and as it is unlikely that the genus 

 which is at present only known from the Kimmeridge occurred as 

 early as the Trias, I propose to regard the African form as a member 

 of a new genus and call it — 



Palaceodon Browni, n. g. et sp. 

 The dentary as preserved measures 19 mm., and it is unlikely 

 that when perfect it measured more than 20 mm. In front it is very 

 slender and though the teeth are lost it is probable that no part oi 

 the anterior third measured more than 2 mm. in depth. The first 

 tooth preserved is situated 5*2 mm. behind the anterior part of the 

 jaw. It is of very small size, measuring about *8 mm. in length 

 and about *7 mm. in height. In this and the other teeth there is 

 a sort of rudimentary cingulum at the base of the tooth, and the 

 whole tooth stands out pretty markedly from the surface of the jaw. 

 The first five teeth preserved increase steadily in size from before 



