Lesson plan
Nyaphulia
Nyaphulia is an extinct genus of dicynodont therapsid from the middle Permian of South Africa, containing only the type species N. oelofseni. The generic name is in honour of John Nyaphuli of the National Museum of Bloemfontein, who contributed extensively to South African palaeontology and discovered the holotype specimen of Nyaphulia in 1982. Nyaphulia was initially named as a second species of the basal dicynodont Eodicynodon by Professor Bruce Rubidge in 1990 as E. oelofseni, named after his mentor in palaeontology and geology Dr. Burger Oelofsen. Phylogenetic analyses since then consistently found "E." oelofseni to be more basal than the type species of Eodicynodon, rather than its sister taxon, which researchers suggested indicated it should belong to a distinct genus. "E." oelofseni would be named as the new genus Nyaphulia in 2024, following a thorough redescription of its material after it was CT-scanned and modelled digitally. Nyaphulia has a mix of features of both earlier anomodonts and dicynodonts. Like early anomodonts, it still has no tusks or secondary palate and a laterally exposed septomaxilla bone around the nose, but like other dicynodonts it has no teeth in its premaxilla or at the tip of the dentary, a lateral dentary shelf, and reduced transverse wings of the pterygoid.…
Article summary
Nyaphulia is an extinct genus of dicynodont therapsid from the middle Permian of South Africa, containing only the type species N. oelofseni. The generic name is in honour of John Nyaphuli of the National Museum of Bloemfontein, who contributed extensively to South African palaeontology and discovered the holotype specimen of Nyaphulia in 1982. Nyaphulia was initially named as a second species of the basal dicynodont Eodicynodon by Professor Bruce Rubidge in 1990 as E. oelofseni, named after his mentor in palaeontology and geology Dr. Burger Oelofsen. Phylogenetic analyses since then consistently found "E." oelofseni to be more basal than the type species of Eodicynodon, rather than its sister taxon, which researchers suggested indicated it should belong to a distinct genus. "E." oelofseni would be named as the new genus Nyaphulia in 2024, following a thorough redescription of its material after it was CT-scanned and modelled digitally. Nyaphulia has a mix of features of both earlier anomodonts and dicynodonts. Like early anomodonts, it still has no tusks or secondary palate and a laterally exposed septomaxilla bone around the nose, but like other dicynodonts it has no teeth in its premaxilla or at the tip of the dentary, a lateral dentary shelf, and reduced transverse wings of the pterygoid.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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