Procolophonia

Procolophonia is a clade of extinct reptiles within Parareptilia that includes the family Procolophonidae. Members of this group were among the more successful early reptile lineages after the initial diversification of amniotes and are known primarily from the Late Permian to the Early Triassic. Their fossils have a wide geographic distribution, with many specimens reported from Gondwanan landmasses, and they are key to understanding reptile evolution around the Permian–Triassic boundary.

Morphology and ecology: Procolophonians were typically small to medium-sized and possessed broad, short skulls with beak-like mouths. Their dentition often included leaf-shaped or rounded postcanine teeth adapted to processing vegetable matter, though some taxa retained omnivorous diets. The animals were generally terrestrial and appear to have had a sprawling to semi-erect gait. Dermal ornamentation and skull sculpturing vary among taxa.

Taxonomy and classification: Procolophonia is a clade within Parareptilia, with Procolophonidae as the best-known and most diverse family. The evolutionary relationships of procolophonians to other parareptile groups are subject to ongoing research, with different analyses placing them in various positions relative to pareiasaurs and other early reptiles.

Notable genera: Procolophon is the type genus; other procolophonids are described from Permian and Triassic strata.

See also: Parareptilia, Pareiasauria, Procolophonidae.