Protuberum cabralensis
| Protuberum cabralensis | ||||||||||||
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||||||
| Middle Triassic | ||||||||||||
| 237 to 228.7 million years | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Protuberum | ||||||||||||
| Reichel, Schultz & Soares, 2009 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Protuberum cabralensis | ||||||||||||
| Reichel , Schultz & Soares , 2009 |
Protuberum cabralensis is a species of therapsids ("mammal-like reptiles") from the Middle Triassic of South America that was scientifically described in 2009. It belongstothe Traversodontidae family within the Cynodontia and is the type species of the monotypic genus Protuberum .
Like all species of the traversodontid Cynodontia, Protuberum cabralensis was a herbivore and possessed a specialized grinding movement when ingesting food. Fossils of two specimens were found in the Alemoa member of the Santa Maria Formation in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul . The first specimen, discovered in 1977, consists of several ribs and vertebrae . The second specimen, found in 1989, includes parts of the skeleton in the anatomical association and a skull.
Both specimens were discovered by Daniel Cargnin. The genus name refers to the large number of projections on the ribs and ilium , while the epithet the community Novo Cabrais honors where the type specimen was found.