No. 446.] RECLASSIFICATION OF THE REPTILIA. lOI 



The large South African Pareiasauridae are more specialized 

 than the Texan Pariotichidae and DiadectidcC, the latter being- 

 the type of the order. 



Theoretically some unspecialized members of this order gave 

 rise to all other reptiles including both Synapsida and Diapsida. 



II. Superorder Anomodontia Owen. 

 This was originally defined by Owen (i860) as an 'order' 

 embracing the -families" Dicynodontia, Cryptodontia and 

 Gnathodontia (Rhynchosaurus). The reference of the latter 

 'family ' proves to have been an error. In 1 861, in the second 

 edition of his Pal(Eontology, Owen included in the Anomodontia 

 the ' family ' Cynodontia. based on the types Galesaurus and 

 Cynochampsa ; thus raising the Anomodontia to the rank of a 

 superorder which is equivalent in part to the superorder Thero- 



This"" '^superorder ' includes two orders, which represent an 

 adaptive radiation from more primitive truly reptilian types 

 (Therocephalia Broom) into the more mammal-like Cynodontia, 

 both with full sets of teeth, and finally into the highly special- 

 ized Dicynodontia, in which the teeth are greatly reduced. All 

 these animals retain, however, some primitive or cotylosaurian 

 and stegocephalian characters. 



Order Ther 



I . Suborder Therocephalia Broom. 

 Broom has recently pubHshed an admirable paper on the 

 "Classification of the Theriodonts and their Allies," • in which 

 the Therocephalia^ are defined from the types Scylacosaiirus, 

 ^lurosaurus, Ictidosuchus, Deuterosaurus, Titanosuchus, ror- 

 gonops, as representatives of six families. These are mec lum 

 sized reptiles, and apparently the most primitive of the Anomo- 



