Kudnu

Kudnu Temporal range: Early Triassic, ~251–247 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Holotype skull (top) and referred skull (bottom)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Neodiapsida
Genus:	†Kudnu Bartholomai, 1979
Species:	†K. mackinlayi
Binomial name
†Kudnu mackinlayi Bartholomai, 1979

Kudnu is an extinct genus of neodiapsid reptile from the Early Triassic Arcadia Formation of Australia.^[1] The type species is K. mackinlayi.^[2]

Discovery and naming

The holotype is QM F9181, an anterior section of a cranium with articulated dentary rami, and it was discovered in the Crater, southwest of Rolleston, Queensland.^[3] The referred skull QM F9182 is also known.^[4] Kudnu mackinlayi was named and described by Alan Bartholomai in 1979.^[2]

Classification

Kudnu was initially classified within Paliguanidae by Bartholomai (1979). Benton (1985) classified Kudnu within Lepidosauromorpha,^[5] while Evans (2003) classified Kudnu within Prolacertiformes,^[6] and Evans & Jones (2010) later assigned Kudnu to the Procolophonidae.^[7] More recent authors, such as Poropat et al. (2023), consider Kudnu to be a basal member of Neodiapsida.^[4]

Paleoecology

The world Kudnu inhabited was still recovering from the recent Permian–Triassic extinction event, and as a result global biodiversity had remained low throughout much of the Early Triassic.^[8] The world at this time was generally a hot and arid environment, reaching a temperature of 50 °C or even 60 °C at times.^[9]

Currently a high diversity of fauna has so far been recorded from the Arcadia Formation that lived alongside Kudnu. This includes a high diversity of amphibians including 14 genera,^[10] the archosauriform Kalisuchus rewanensis,^[11] the archosauromorph Kadimakara australiensis,^[1] the procolophonid Eomurruna yurrgensis^[12] as well as an indeterminate dicynodont.^[13]

There is also evidence of a diversity of indermitae ichnotaxa based on coprolites.^[14]

References

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Sauropsida (Reptilia sensu lato)

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Superclass: Tetrapoda Clade: Amniota
Tetrapodomorpha see Tetrapodomorpha Reptiliomorpha see Reptiliomorpha Sauropsida see below↓

Sauropsida
Sauropsida †Australothyris †Microleter †Recumbirostra? †Captorhinidae? †"Protorothyrididae"? †Acleistorhinidae Acleistorhinus Carbonodraco Colobomycter? Delorhynchus? Feeserpeton? Karutia †Millerettidae Australothyris? Broomia Heleophilus Microleter? Milleretta Millerosaurus Milleropsis Nanomilleretta †Mesosauria Brazilosaurus Mesosaurus Stereosternum Diapsida †Dolerosaurus †Stauromatodon †Varanopidae? †Araeoscelidia? Neoreptilia †Parareptilia? see Parareptilia Neodiapsida see below↓

Neodiapsida
Neodiapsida †Adelosaurus? †Claudiosaurus †Cryptovaranoides †Eunotosaurus? †Feralisaurus †Heleosuchus †Kenyasaurus †Kudnu †Lanthanolania †Maiothisavros †Orovenator †Palacrodon †Palaeagama †Saurosternon †Sphodrosaurus †Drepanosauromorpha Hypuronector Kyrgyzsaurus Longisquama? Protoavis? Vallesaurus Drepanosauridae Ancistronychus Avicranium Dolabrosaurus Drepanosaurus Megalancosaurus Skybalonyx †Tangasauridae Acerosodontosaurus? Hovasaurus Tangasaurus †Younginidae Galesphyrus Thadeosaurus Youngina †Weigeltisauridae Coelurosauravus Glaurung Rautiania Weigeltisaurus †Ichthyosauromorpha see Ichthyosauromorpha †Helveticosauridae Eusaurosphargis? Helveticosaurus †Saurosphargidae Hemilopas? Largocephalosaurus Prosaurosphargis Saurosphargis Sinosaurosphargis Stauromatodon? †Sauropterygia see Sauropterygia †Thalattosauria Blezingeria? Neosinasaurus? Askeptosauroidea Anshunsaurus Askeptosaurus Endennasaurus Miodentosaurus Wayaosaurus Thalattosauroidea Agkistrognathus Clarazia Concavispina Gunakadeit Hescheleria Nectosaurus Paralonectes Thalattosaurus Wapitisaurus? Xinpusaurus †Choristodera Coeruleodraco Cteniogenys Heishanosaurus Irenosaurus Pachystropheus? Allochoristodera Hyphalosaurus Shokawa Monjurosuchus Philydrosaurus Khurendukhosaurus Lazarussuchus Neochoristodera Champsosaurus Ikechosaurus Kosmodraco Liaoxisaurus Mengshanosaurus Simoedosaurus Tchoiria †Kuehneosauridae Icarosaurus Kuehneosaurus Kuehneosuchus Pamelina Rhabdopelix? Sauria Lepidosauromorpha see Lepidosauromorpha Includes Lepidosauria includes rhynchocephalians and squamates Archelosauria Archosauromorpha see Archosauromorpha Includes Archosauria includes birds and crocodilians Pantestudines see Pantestudines Includes Testudines turtles

• See also: Anapsid
• Captorhinida
• Eureptilia
• Avicephala
• Eosuchia
• Younginiformes
• Euryapsida
• Category