[D] Pegomastax africana [Su] [sG] [T]
Describer
Sereno, 2012
Time
Jurassic Early Hettangian Sinemurian
Classification
Ornithischia Ornithopoda Heterodontosauridae
Diet
Herbivore
Fossilsite
Upper Elliot Formation, Red Beds, Voyizane, Transkei, Cape Province, South Africa
Info
Collected during a 1966–1967 expedition. Originally introduced as Pegomastax africanus, the species name has since been corrected to Pegomastax africana in order to comply with regulations of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Sereno, P.C. (2012) Corrigenda: Sereno PC (2012) Taxonomy, morphology, masticatory function and phylogeny of heterodontosaurid dinosaurs. ZooKeys 227: 101–101. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.227.4091
Etymology
From the Greek pegos and mastax, meaning “strong jaw” and “Latin africanus, meaning “pertaining to Africa”.
Holotype
SAM-PK-K10488, fragmentary skull preserving right and left dentaries and the predentary.
Type locality
Voyizane (= Voisana), Transkei (Herschel) District, Cape Province, South Africa; S30°34, E27°25 (Crompton and Charig 1962; Kitching and Raath 1984).
Horizon
Upper section of the Elliot Formation (= Red Beds); Lower Jurassic, Hettangian to Sinemurian, ca. 200-190 Ma (Crompton and Charig 1962; Santa Luca et al. 1976; Knoll 2005; Gradstein and Ogg 2009).
Diagnosis
Heterodontosaurid ornithischian characterized by the following four autapomorphies: (1) proportionately deep predentary with a dorsal margin about 70% the anteroventral margin; (2) predentary dorsal margin angled anteroventrally at approximately 45°; (3) postcaniniform dentary crowns with an mesially-bowed primary ridge that angles from the apical denticle toward the mesial side of the crown base; (4) slightly concave denticulate crown margins to either side of a prominent apical denticle