Anomodontia: Introduction

Abstract

Anomodonts are the most species-rich and abundant Permo-Triassic therapsids. This clade had a global distribution and spans a wide range of morphologies and ecologies. The beaked dicynodonts represent the largest anomodont subclade, and several new studies on this group are presented herein. Variation in dicynodont osteology is given particular focus, with contributions on both supernumerary bones in the dicynodont snout as well as bone pathologies in dicynodont postcranial skeletons. A comprehensive review of the Zambian dicynodont fauna is introduced, with implications for Permian vertebrate biostratigraphy.