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Acleistorhinidae Temporal range: Late Carboniferous and Early Permian, 306–271.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skull reconstruction of Colobomycter pholeter
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	†Parareptilia
Order:	†Procolophonomorpha
Superfamily:	†Lanthanosuchoidea
Family:	†Acleistorhinidae Daly, 1969
Genera
†Acleistorhinus †Carbonodraco †Colobomycter †Delorhynchus †Feeserpeton †Karutia †Klastomycter

Acleistorhinidae is an extinct family of Late Carboniferous and Early Permian-aged (Moscovian to Kungurian stage) parareptiles. It is defined as a node based clade including the last common ancestor of Acleistorhinus pteroticus and Colobomycter pholeter and all its descendants. Acleistorhinids are most diverse from the Richards Spur locality of the Early Permian of Oklahoma. Richards Spur acleistorhinids include Acleistorhinus, Colobomycter, Delorhynchus, Feeserpeton and Klastomycter. Other taxa include Carbonodraco from the Late Carboniferous of Ohio and Karutia from the Early Permian of Brazil. Acleistorhinidae is commonly considered a subgroup of lanthanosuchoids, related to taxa such as Chalcosaurus, Lanthaniscus and Lanthanosuchus. However, a re-examination of parareptile phylogeny conducted by Cisneros et al. (2021) argued that lanthanosuchids were not closely related to acleistorhinids. The phylogenetic analysis conducted by these authors recovered acleistorhinids as the sister group of the clade Procolophonia, while lanthanosuchids were recovered within the procolophonian subgroup Pareiasauromorpha.

Acleistorhinidae is notable for being the oldest-known parareptilian clade. The family is diagnosed by the presence two synapomorphies: (1) the largest tooth is located far anteriorly on the maxilla; and (2) cranial ornamentation consists of sparse and shallow circular dimples.

Diet

Two specimens of acleistorhinids described from the Richards Spur fissure-fill locality in Oklahoma have provided compelling evidence of the diet of acleistorhinids. One specimen, OMNH 73362, was later referred to Delorhynchus cifellii, a species named in 2014. The other specimen, OMNH 73364, has not been formally described. Fragments of arthropod cuticles are present in between the many palatal teeth of both skulls. The fragments in OMNH 73362 are thought to be the segments of an antenna, while the fragments in OMNH 73364 are thought to be part of a cercus.

In acleistorhinids, the marginal teeth, which are small and recurved, are suggestive of an insectivorous diet, as they probably were used for gripping and piercing arthropod cuticle. The denticulated palate, with three pairs of tooth fields and smaller teeth in between the fields, is seen as an adaptation for holding food in the oral cavity.

The teeth, which possess cutting edges, may also have been suitable for a carnivorous diet in which vertebrate flesh may have been consumed. It is possible that acleistorhinids would have preyed on tetrapods that were small enough to swallow whole. It is likely that one acleistorhinid, Colobomycter pholeter, specialized either on invertebrates with hard cuticles or on small tetrapods.

References

1. Daly, E. (1969). "A new procolophonoid reptile from the Early Permian of Oklahoma". Journal of Paleontology. 43 (3): 676–687.
2. ^ Modesto, S. P. (1999). "Colobomycter pholeter from the Lower Permian of Oklahoma: a parareptile, not a protorothyrided". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 19 (3): 466–472. Bibcode:1999JVPal..19..466M. doi:10.1080/02724634.1999.10011159.
3. Reisz, R. R.; Rowe, D. C. T.; Bevitt, J. J. (2024). "Klastomycter conodentatus, gen et sp. nov., a small early Permian parareptile with conical teeth from Richards Spur, Oklahoma". PeerJ. 12: e18393. doi:10.7717/peerj.18393. PMC 11583906.
4. Arjan Mann; Emily J. McDaniel; Emily R. McColville; Hillary C. Maddin (2019). "Carbonodraco lundi gen et sp. nov., the oldest parareptile, from Linton, Ohio, and new insights into the early radiation of reptiles". Royal Society Open Science. 6 (11): Article ID 191191. Bibcode:2019RSOS....691191M. doi:10.1098/rsos.191191. PMC 6894558. PMID 31827854.
5. ^ Cisneros, J. C.; Kammerer, C. F.; Angielczyk, K. D.; Fröbisch, J.; Marsicano, C.; Smith, R. M. H.; Richter, M. (2021). "A new reptile from the lower Permian of Brazil (Karutia fortunata gen. et sp. nov.) and the interrelationships of Parareptilia". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 18 (23): 1939–1959. doi:10.1080/14772019.2020.1863487. S2CID 231741612.
6. Marcello Ruta; Juan C. Cisneros; Torsten Liebrect; Linda A. Tsuji; Johannes Muller (2011). "Amniotes through major biological crises: faunal turnover among Parareptiles and the end-Permian mass extinction". Palaeontology. 54 (5): 1117–1137. Bibcode:2011Palgy..54.1117R. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01051.x. S2CID 83693335.
7. ^ Modesto, S. P.; Scott, D. M.; Reisz, R. R. (2009). "Arthropod remains in the oral cavities of fossil reptiles support inference of early insectivory". Biology Letters. 5 (6): 838–840. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0326. PMC 2827974. PMID 19570779.
8. Freeman, P. W.; Lemen, C. (2006). "Puncturing ability of idealized canine teeth: edged and non-edged shanks". Journal of Zoology. 269: 51–56. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00049.x. S2CID 14079182.
9. Modesto, S. P.; Reisz, R. R. (2008). "New material of Colobomycter pholeter, a small parareptile from the Lower Permian of Oklahoma". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (3): 677–684. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[677:NMOCPA]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 85991061.

v t e Sauropsida (Reptilia sensu lato)
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Superclass: Tetrapoda Clade: Amniota Tetrapodomorpha see Tetrapodomorpha Reptiliomorpha see Reptiliomorpha Sauropsida see below↓
Sauropsida Sauropsida †Australothyris †Erpetonyx †Microleter †Acleistorhinidae Acleistorhinus Carbonodraco Colobomycter Delorhynchus Feeserpeton Karutia Klastomycter †Bolosauridae Belebey Bolosaurus Eudibamus †Mesosauria Brazilosaurus Mesosaurus Stereosternum †Millerettidae Broomia Heleophilus Milleretta Millerosaurus Milleropsis Nanomilleretta †Procolophonia see Procolophonia Diapsida see below↓
Diapsida Diapsida †Adelosaurus? †Claudiosaurus †Cryptovaranoides †Dolerosaurus †Elachistosuchus †Eunotosaurus? †Feralisaurus †Heleosuchus †Kenyasaurus †Kudnu †Lanthanolania †Maiothisavros †Microzemiotes †Orovenator †Palacrodon †Palaeagama †Saurosternon †Sphodrosaurus †Younginidae Galesphyrus Thadeosaurus Youngina †Tangasauridae Acerosodontosaurus? Hovasaurus Tangasaurus †Weigeltisauridae Coelurosauravus Glaurung Rautiania Weigeltisaurus †Drepanosauromorpha Ancistronychus Avicranium Dolabrosaurus Drepanosaurus Hypuronector Kyrgyzsaurus Longisquama? Megalancosaurus Protoavis? Skybalonyx Unguinychus Vallesaurus †Kuehneosauridae Icarosaurus Idiosaura? Kuehneosaurus Kuehneosuchus Pamelina Rhabdopelix? †Choristodera see Choristodera †Ichthyosauromorpha see Ichthyosauromorpha †Sauropterygia see Sauropterygia †Thalattosauria see Thalattosauria Sauria (Crown-Reptilia) 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 Possible sauropsids Araeoscelidia Captorhinidae Protorothyrididae Recumbirostra Varanopidae Other taxa Anapsida Captorhinida Eureptilia Parareptilia Lanthanosuchoidea Millerosauria Procolophonomorpha Ankyramorpha Neodiapsida Eosuchia Younginiformes Avicephala Eolacertilia Euryapsida
Category

v t e Procolophonia
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Superclass: Tetrapoda Clade: Amniota Class: Sauropsida Sauropsida see Sauropsida Procolophonia see below↓ Procolophonia
Nyctiphruretidae? Abyssomedon Nyctiphruretus Pareiasauromorpha Lanthanosuchidae? Chalcosaurus Lanthaniscus? Lanthanosuchus Nycteroleteridae Bashkyroleter Emeroleter Macroleter Nycteroleter Rhipaeosaurus Pareiasauria Bradysaurus Bunostegos Deltavjatia Embrithosaurus Nochelesaurus Parasaurus Senectosaurus Pumiliopareiasauria Anthodon Nanoparia Provelosaurus Pumiliopareia Therischia Arganaceras Elginia Obirkovia Pareiasaurus Sanchuansaurus Scutosaurus Shihtienfenia Procolophonoidea Owenettidae Barasaurus Candelaria Owenetta Ruhuhuaria Saurodektes Procolophonidae Coartaredens? Coletta Eomurruna Gomphiosauridion? Kinelia? Kitchingnathus Lasasaurus Oryporan Phaanthosaurus Pintosaurus Sauropareion Smilodonterpeton Sphenosaurus Spondylolestes? Suchonosaurus Theledectes Tichvinskia Tricuspisaurus? Xenodiphyodon? Youngetta Leptopleuroninae Basileosaurus? Cornualbus Hwiccewyrm Hypsognathus Koiloskiosaurus Leptopleuron Libognathus Mandaphon Neoprocolophon Pentaedrusaurus Phonodus Sclerosaurus Scoloparia Soturnia Threordatoth Procolophoninae Anomoiodon Burtensia Eumetabolodon Insulophon? Kapes Lestanshoria? Orenburgia Procolina Procolophon Samaria? Teratophon Thelephon Thelerpeton Timanophon

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