perhemuodon

Perhemuodon is an extinct genus of amniotes known from fragmentary dental and jaw material recovered from Permian deposits in central Europe. The genus is currently considered to include a single species, Perhemuodon parvus, described from a partial dentary. The fossils date to the Late Permian, though exact deposition ages are debated due to stratigraphic uncertainties.

The genus was named by Müller and Ivanov in 1994. The name combines Greek roots related to tooth morphology and the Latin parvus for small, reflecting the small size and distinctive dentition of the fossil.

The holotype comprises a partial dentary bearing eight teeth. The crowns are slender and conical with fine serrations along the edges. Wear facets indicate use in grasping small prey, and the estimated body length is about 20 to 25 cm. The dentition and jaw proportions suggest a diet consisting of small invertebrates or vertebrate prey, suited to a relatively active, small predator or insectivore.

Taxonomy and phylogeny: Perhemuodon is placed within Amniota, but its exact relationships are uncertain. Some analyses ally it with early eureptiles, others with parareptiles or more basal amniote lineages, and the fragmentary material precludes a decisive placement. As a result, Perhemuodon remains a taxon of interest for understanding the diversity of small Permian amniotes and their ecological roles.

Paleoecology: Fossils come from floodplain or braided river deposits that suggest a warm, seasonal climate. The dentition implies an insectivorous to small-vertebrate diet. Perhemuodon would have coexisted with other small carnivores and early synapsids in its ecosystem.