Jirahgorgon
| Jirahgorgon Temporal range: Middle Permian,
| |
|---|---|
| Life restoration | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | †Gorgonopsia |
| Family: | †Phorcyidae |
| Genus: | †Jirahgorgon Macungo et al., 2026 |
| Species: | †J. ceto
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Jirahgorgon ceto Macungo et al., 2026
| |
Jirahgorgon is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsid (mammal-line synapsid) known from the Permian (Wordian–Capitanian age) Abrahamskraal Formation (Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone) of South Africa. The genus contains a single species, Jirahgorgon ceto, known from a complete skull articulated with the lower jaw.[1]
Discovery and naming
The Jirahgorgon fossil material was discovered by Julien Benoit, with assistance from Michael O. Day, in March 2019 in outcrops of the middle Abrahamskraal Formation (Grootfontein Member), representing part of the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone. These outcrops are situated on the Wilgerbos farm in the town of Laingsburg in the Western Cape of South Africa. The specimen is housed in the Evolutionary Studies Institute (formerly the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research), part of the University of the Witwatersrand, where it is permanently accessioned as specimen BP/1/8260. It consists of a complete skull, preserved in occlusion with the mandible (lower jaw). To facilitate greater study and research of the specimen, it was μCT-scanned at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France.[1]
In 2026, Zanildo Macungo and colleagues described Jirahgorgon ceto as a new genus and species of gorgonopsian based on these fossil remains, establishing BP/1/8260 as the holotype specimen. The generic name, Jirahgorgon, honors Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) curator Sifelani Jirah, whose work focuses on fossils from South Africa's Karoo Basin, especially those of Permian therapsids. This is combined with 'gorgon'—alluding to a trio of monsters in Greek mythology—refers to the larger clade, Gorgonopsia, to which the taxon belongs. The specific name, ceto, is also derived from Greek myth, wherein Ceto is the mother of the gorgons and the wife of Phorcys (for whom the closely related gorgonopsian Phorcys was named).[1][2]
Classification
To test the affinities and relationships of Jirahgorgon, Macungo et al. (2026) included it in an updated version of the phylogenetic matrix of Macungo et al. (2025).[3] This dataset recovered Jirahgorgon as a member of the newly recognized family Phorcyidae within the Gorgonopsia, as the sister taxon to Phorcys. Gorgonops and Eriphostoma were recovered as successive earlier-diverging lineages. These results are displayed in the cladogram below:[2]
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References
- ^ a b c Macungo, Zanildo; Araújo, Ricardo; Rubidge, Bruce S.; Day, Michael O.; Dollman, Kathleen N.; Benoit, Julien (2026-03-12). "Evolutionary radiation of large‐bodied gorgonopsians from the lower Abrahamskraal formation of South Africa". The Anatomical Record. doi:10.1002/ar.70181. ISSN 1932-8486.
- ^ a b Kammerer, Christian F.; Rubidge, Bruce S. (October 2022). "The earliest gorgonopsians from the Karoo Basin of South Africa". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 194 104631. Bibcode:2022JAfES.19404631K. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2022.104631. S2CID 249977414.
- ^ Macungo, Zanildo; Benoit, Julien; Araújo, Ricardo (2025-03-06). "Inostrancevia africana, the first diagnosable gorgonopsian (Therapsida, Synapsida) from the Metangula graben (Mozambique): new anatomical observations and biostratigraphic implications". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 144 (1). doi:10.1186/s13358-025-00348-7. ISSN 1664-2376.
- ^ Matamales-Andreu, Rafel; Kammerer, Christian F.; Angielczyk, Kenneth D.; Simões, Tiago R.; Mujal, Eudald; Galobart, Àngel; Fortuny, Josep (2024-12-17). "Early–middle Permian Mediterranean gorgonopsian suggests an equatorial origin of therapsids". Nature Communications. 15 (1). 10346. Bibcode:2024NatCo..1510346M. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-54425-5. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 11652623. PMID 39690157.