Menadon

Menadon; Temporal range: Late Triassic; ~
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Clade:	Therapsida
Clade:	Cynodontia
Family:	†Traversodontidae
Subfamily:	†Gomphodontosuchinae
Genus:	†Menadon; Flynn et al. 2000
Species:	†M. besairiei
Binomial name
	†Menadon besairiei; Flynn et al. 2000

Menadon is an extinct genus of traversodontid cynodonts. The type and only species is Menadon besairiei.¹

Fossils of Menadon were first found in Isalo II (the Makay Formation) of Madagascar, which preserves sediments from the Middle to Late Triassic period.¹² They have also been recovered from the Santa Maria Formation of the Paraná Basin near Santa Cruz do Sul in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.³

Menadon was unique among non-mammalian synapsids for the presence of hypsodont (high-crowned) postcanine teeth. Hypsodont teeth grow continuously to counteract high wear caused by a diet of abrasive plant material. Menadon's teeth convergently resemble those of hypsodont xenarthrans such as sloths and armadillos, due to their column-like form and dentine which grows from the crown towards the root.⁴

References

Flynn, J.J.; Parrish, J.M.; Rakotosamimanana, B.; Ranivoharimanana, L.; Simpson, W.F. & Wyss, A.R. (2000). "New traversodontids (Synapsida: Eucynodontia) from the Triassic of Madagascar". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20 (3): 422–427. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0422:NTSEFT]2.0.CO;2.
Kammerer, Christian F.; Flynn, John J.; Ranivoharimanana, Lovasoa; Wyss, André R. (2008-06-12). "New material of Menadon besairiei (Cynodontia: Traversodontidae) from the Triassic of Madagascar". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (2): 445–462. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[445:NMOMBC]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0272-4634.
Melo, Tomaz Panceri; Abdala, Fernando; Soares, Marina Bento (2015-11-02). "The Malagasy cynodont Menadon besairiei (Cynodontia; Traversodontidae) in the Middle–Upper Triassic of Brazil". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (6) e1002562. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.1002562. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 128925370.
Melo, Tomaz P.; Ribeiro, Ana M.; Martinelli, Agustín G.; Soares, Marina B. (June 2019). "Early evidence of molariform hypsodonty in a Triassic stem-mammal". Nature Communications. 10: 2841. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-10719-7. PMC 6598982. PMID 31253810.

[Flynnetal-1] Flynn, J.J.; Parrish, J.M.; Rakotosamimanana, B.; Ranivoharimanana, L.; Simpson, W.F. & Wyss, A.R. (2000). "New traversodontids (Synapsida: Eucynodontia) from the Triassic of Madagascar". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20 (3): 422–427. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0422:NTSEFT]2.0.CO;2.

[2] Kammerer, Christian F.; Flynn, John J.; Ranivoharimanana, Lovasoa; Wyss, André R. (2008-06-12). "New material of Menadon besairiei (Cynodontia: Traversodontidae) from the Triassic of Madagascar". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (2): 445–462. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[445:NMOMBC]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0272-4634.

[3] Melo, Tomaz Panceri; Abdala, Fernando; Soares, Marina Bento (2015-11-02). "The Malagasy cynodont Menadon besairiei (Cynodontia; Traversodontidae) in the Middle–Upper Triassic of Brazil". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (6) e1002562. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.1002562. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 128925370.

[4] Melo, Tomaz P.; Ribeiro, Ana M.; Martinelli, Agustín G.; Soares, Marina B. (June 2019). "Early evidence of molariform hypsodonty in a Triassic stem-mammal". Nature Communications. 10: 2841. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-10719-7. PMC 6598982. PMID 31253810.

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